Ronaldo SUBSTITUTED in must-win game as Man Utd legend branded ‘elite bottler’

Robin Bairner

• 27 May 2023 21:39 BST
• 4 min read

Cristiano Ronaldo’s first season at Al-Nassr will end without a trophy as Al-Ittihad claimed the Saudi Pro League title with one round of action remaining.

Al-Nassr went into their fixture against Ettifaq knowing that they needed to at least match the leaders’ result if they wanted to keep the title race alive until the final week of the season.

However, they were frustrated to a 1-1 draw against their mid-table opponents - while Ronaldo was replaced with his side needing a goal in the closing minutes of the game, albeit carrying an injury. It is the first time he has failed to play 90 minutes since debuting for the club in January.

Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr: Goals, assists, results & fixtures

The home side took the lead in the first half, and though Ronaldo played a substantial role in Al-Nassr squaring the game through former Bayern Munich midfielder Luiz Gustavo, they were unable to find a decisive goal.

Ronaldo was taken off with six minutes of the game to play – a fact interestingly missed on Al-Nassr’s Twitter feeds in both English and Arabic, despite the Portugal star appearing to be injured.

This result, combined with Al-Ittihad winning 3-0 against Al Feiha means that Ronaldo cannot win silverware this season.

MORE: Ronaldo drops future hint with Saudi Pro League comment

Ronaldo attacked over Al-Nassr performance

Ronaldo made his debut when Al-Nassr topped the league by two points, and this has been used by his detractors as ammunition to attack him, despite scoring 14 goals in 16 games for the club.

Ronaldo and Al-Nassr finish their Saudi Pro League season on Wednesday against Al-Fateh.