Al-Nassr head coach Ange Postecoglou has hit back at remarks made by a journalist about his club captain Cristiano Ronaldo after the Saudi giants’ 4-0 loss to Al-Ain.
Cristiano Ronaldo and his side were handed a reality check in the AFC Champions League. They were thumped 4-0 by UAE-based side Al-Ain in the first game of the league phase.
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Ronaldo didn’t have the best of games as he was caught offside twice and was limited to just one shot on target throughout the full 90 minutes. The Portuguese marksman cut a frustrated figure throughout the game.
In the press conference after the game, a journalist asked if Cristiano Ronaldo’s presence in the team had any positive effect at all. The Al-Nassr head coach hit back with a strong response. He said (via ESPN):
“Cristiano has scored three goals already,” Postecoglou said. “He had a limited preparation. This is not about the players. The players are giving everything. They’re top players, and they’ve got great character.
“The responsibility is mine, okay? But you shouldn’t say that about somebody who is still setting an example for everyone. And you should be careful when you say things like that about people who have built a career on making all the sacrifices to keep playing.”
The same journalist then claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo did ‘nothing’ against Al-Ain. Postecoglou responded:
“You’re watching a different game to me.”
Despite his sub-par showing against Al-Ain, Cristiano Ronaldo has had a decent start to the season. After missing most of pre-season due to his Portugal commitments and wedding to partner Georgina Rodriguez, the Portuguese superstar has managed to score 3 goals in his 7 appearances.
Ronaldo and his Al-Nassr side will have almost a month off due to the upcoming international break. They will return to action in the Saudi Pro League when they take on Diriyah on October 9th.
Ange Postecoglou discusses Cristiano Ronaldo-led Al-Nassr’s loss to Al-Ain
Speaking in the post-match presser, Postecoglou conceded that their loss to the UAE club was disappointing despite their tight schedule. He said (via talkSPORT):
“It was always going to be a difficult game with the schedule we’ve had, but the first goal we conceded made the task more difficult. The players still stuck to it and tried as hard as they could, but we couldn’t get a goal back in the game, and then obviously we had to open up to try and score, and Al Ain took advantage.”
Edited by Vignesh Raja
