Cristiano Ronaldo left fuming as Al-Nassr drop points in opening game of Saudi Pro League season after veteran opened scoring with a header
- Al-Nassr drew 1-1 against Al-Raed in their first match of the Saudi Pro League season
- Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring but had a second goal disallowed for offside
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Cristiano Ronaldo’s frustrating start to the 2024-25 season continued on Thursday night as Al-Nassr drew 1-1 with Al-Raed.
Al-Nassr, coached by Luis Castro, finished second in the 2023-24 Saudi Pro League (SPL) and have high hopes of silverware this time around.
Things started badly last weekend when they were beaten 4-1 by rivals Al-Hilal in the Saudi Super Cup final. Ronaldo opened the scoring, before the SPL champions scored four goals in the second half.
Al-Nassr began the competition on Thursday with a home game against Al-Raed, who finished 12th in the SPL and 45 points behind Ronaldo and co. in the previous match.
Besides Ronaldo, Castro’s team featured the usual star-studded XI, including Sadio Mané, Alex Telles, Otavio, Marcelo Brozovic and Euro 2024 winner Aymeric Laporte.
Cristiano Ronaldo was furious after Al-Nassr drew 1-1 with Al-Raed in the SPL on Thursday
Ronaldo had opened the scoring with a powerful header in the first half from a cross by Sadio Mané
But Al-Raed equalised from the penalty spot and held on for a famous point against Al-Nassr
They started well, as Ronaldo put the home side ahead with a beautiful header. The 39-year-old jumped up from the ground to head the ball in from a cross by Sadio Mane.
It was the Portuguese star’s third goal in three games this season, having also scored in Al-Nassr’s 2-0 win over Al-Taawon in the semi-finals of the Saudi Super Cup.
Ronaldo highlighted his impressive finishing and athleticism with his usual SIU celebration and the forward looked extremely motivated after putting his team ahead.
Despite dominating the match with 70 percent possession and 31 shots on target, Al-Nassr were unable to score a second goal.
However, disaster struck when Mohammed Fouzair slotted home Al-Raed’s equaliser from the penalty spot early in the second half, infuriating Ronaldo.
His anger only grew when he had a goal disallowed for offside, with VAR ruling that Ronaldo had led by the narrowest of margins.
Al-Nassr were then awarded a penalty for handball well into injury time in the second half, but it was disallowed despite the referee watching the incident on the pitchside monitor. Al-Raed still managed to score a memorable point.
Ronaldo’s frustration was also expressed after he stormed the Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium last week without taking his silver medal after Al-Nassr lost 4-1 to Al-Hilal.
The 39-year-old showed his anger again during the match, angrily gesticulating at many of his teammates as the four second-half goals came.
Ronaldo then saw a second goal disallowed for offside as his frustrations ran out
Al-Nassr also saw a penalty disallowed in injury time, holding them to a draw
It’s been a disappointing start to the campaign for the 39-year-old Portuguese superstar
Despite the ongoing frustration, Ronaldo’s first-half strike on Thursday meant he has now scored 60 goals in 66 games for Al-Nassr, with the 39-year-old also winning the SPL Golden Boot last season when he scored 35 times.
A solid start to the season is extra important for Ronaldo as he failed to score at Euro 2024 and struggled as Portugal were knocked out by France in the quarter-finals.
Al-Nassr and Ronaldo are back in action on Tuesday when they travel to Al-Feiha for their second league match of the season.