Al-Ittihad bundled out Al-Nassr in 2022-2023 Saudi Super Cup semifinal with Cristiano Ronaldo suffering taunting chants by Al-Ittihad fans, who hailed his long-time rival Lionel Messi.
Al-Nassr played Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Super Cup semifinal for a place in the final with Cristiano Ronaldo making his second competitive appearance for Al-Nassr.
It was a disappointing game for the big spenders. Despite effectively dominating proceedings in the game, Al-Nassr suffered a heavy defeat in the hands of Al-Ittihad.
Cristiano Ronaldo could do little as Al-Nassr’s cup hopes crashed against the tactical masterclass of Al-Ittihad.
Just 15 minutes into the game, Romarinho opened the scoring for Al-Ittihad before Hamdallah doubled the lead in the 43rd minute.
Al-Nassr dominated possession and recorded more shots than their opponents in the game, but a resilient and sustained collective defense and attack by Al-Ittihad neutralized the efforts of the Saudi giants.
Al-Ittihad took a deserved 2-0 lead into the first half leaving Al-Nassr frustrated after failed attempts to break the goal deadlock.
Talisca restored hopes of a comeback for Al-Nassr in the second half, scoring in the 63rd minute to cut the deficit.
However, a stoppage-time goal by Al-Ittihad sealed the win and left Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates frustrated after the final whistle.
Meanwhile, the Portuguese star was effectively marked out in the game, extending his frustrating start with Al-Nassr to two games. Ronaldo’s only clear chance in the game was a powerful header which was saved by the Al-Nassr goalkeeper.
Cristiano Ronaldo is now yet to record a single shot on target or find the back of the net in two competitive games for Al-Nassr.
This comes despite his brilliant showing in the Ryadh All-Stars Vs PSG exhibition game in which he faced old-time rival Lionel Messi at the King Fahd International Stadium.
Ryad All-Stars lost 4-5 to 10-man PSG, but Cristiano Ronaldo shone with a brace, offering hopes of a come-back with a brilliant start to his Saudi football career.
After the exhibition game, Cristiano Ronaldo has not lived up to the bidding. He was muffled in the Saudi Super Cup semifinal against Al-Ittihad and did little as the Saudi giants fell 3-1 to their opponents crashing out of the Saudi Super Cup
During the game, Ronaldo was mocked by fans in the stadium, chanting his old-time rival Lionel Messi to taunt the Portuguese star.
The fans chorused in loud voices, “Messi, Messi, Messi,” taking a swipe at Cristiano Ronaldo’s subpar performance in the game.
Lionel Messi has been Cristiano Ronaldo’s biggest rival, but the Argentine playmaker and former Barcelona star is now miles ahead of the Portuguese star on-pitch.
Lionel Messi capped his 18-year legendary football career with the World Cup trophy after helping Argentina beat France via penalty shootouts at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar.
Cristiano Ronaldo struggled at Manchester United before his acrimonious exit, and fell off of the pecking order in Portugal World Cup squad before the team crashed out in the quarterfinals after 1-0 loss to Morocco.
He joined Al-Nassr as a last resort to save his dwindling career after lacking offers from European clubs.
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