Al-Nassr’s return to the AFC Champions League Elite was supposed to supply an early glimpse of what the brand new season might carry. As an alternative, Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates walked away from their opening evening with a outcome that few contained in the membership would have anticipated, as Ange Postecoglou’s facet suffered a heavy defeat within the United Arab Emirates.
Al-Nassr endure nightmare begin in opposition to Al-Ain
Cristiano Ronaldo began for Al-Nassr, however there was little the captain might do to forestall a disastrous night as Al-Ain swept apart the Saudi facet 4-0 of their first AFC Champions League Elite match of the marketing campaign.The defeat got here in Matchday 1 of the newly formatted competitors, that means Al-Nassr’s Asian marketing campaign has barely begun, however the method of the loss instantly places Postecoglou’s workforce below stress.Al-Ain took management within the twenty fifth minute, when Houssine Rahimi opened the scoring. Al-Nassr have been unable to discover a response earlier than Rahimi struck once more within the 63rd minute, leaving the guests with an enormous process simply to get again into the match.As an alternative, the collapse continued.Soufiane Rahimi added a 3rd within the 72nd minute, earlier than Georgios Giakoumakis accomplished the rout 5 minutes from full-time to seal a surprising 4-0 victory for the UAE facet.For all of Al-Nassr’s possession, there was remarkably little attacking menace to indicate for it. Postecoglou’s workforce managed 58 per cent of possession and received the nook rely 10-2, but managed solely three photographs on course.Al-Ain, by comparability, registered seven photographs on course and made their alternatives rely.The outcome additionally extends a formidable begin to the season for Al-Ain, who arrived unbeaten of their first 5 UAE Professional League matches, having recorded 4 wins and one draw.
Ronaldo suffers heaviest Al-Nassr defeat
For Ronaldo, the dimensions of the defeat makes it significantly tough to dismiss as an odd unhealthy evening.It’s now the heaviest defeat of his Al-Nassr profession since he joined the Saudi membership in January 2023. His earlier worst leads to Saudi colors had each resulted in three-goal defeats, with Al-Nassr shedding 3-0 to Al-Hilal within the Saudi Professional League in December 2023 and 4-1 to the identical opponents within the Saudi Tremendous Cup in August 2024.The 4-0 defeat to Al-Ain is subsequently a brand new low when it comes to the margin of defeat throughout Ronaldo’s time in Saudi Arabia.It doesn’t, nonetheless, match the heaviest losses of his whole profession. Ronaldo’s two worst defeats by objective distinction stay Manchester United’s 5-0 loss to Liverpool in October 2021 and Actual Madrid’s 5-0 defeat to Barcelona in November 2010, each five-goal margins.What makes Tuesday’s outcome significantly damaging is when it arrived.Al-Nassr had solely simply returned to the AFC Champions League Elite after a one-year hole, with a brand new coach, a brand new season and renewed expectations surrounding a squad constructed to compete for main honours.The opening match was supposed to start that marketing campaign.As an alternative, Al-Nassr now sit on the backside of the match standings after one match, having conceded 4 objectives with out scoring.
Al-Nassr have seven matches to restore the injury
The brand new AFC Champions League Elite format provides Al-Nassr some room to get well as a result of that is now not a conventional four-team group containing six matches.As an alternative, the competitors now encompasses a single league stage during which every workforce performs eight matches in opposition to eight totally different opponents.Meaning Al-Nassr have seven matchdays remaining, giving Ronaldo and his teammates loads of alternatives to climb the desk after their disastrous opening.Their subsequent alternative comes on October 12, when Al-Nassr host FK Neftchi Fergana.The dimensions of the response will matter as a lot because the outcome itself. A one-year absence from the competitors had created anticipation round Al-Nassr’s return, whereas Postecoglou had arrived with the duty of turning a squad containing Ronaldo and different high-profile additions right into a facet able to making a critical continental run.As an alternative, the primary evening uncovered simply how far there’s nonetheless to go.
Al-Nassr followers activate Ronaldo and Postecoglou
The response from the stands was predictably livid after Al-Nassr have been crushed on the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.Supporters had anticipated one thing very totally different from the membership’s return to Asia’s elite competitors, significantly with Ronaldo main the facet and Postecoglou now in cost.Some followers directed their anger in direction of Ronaldo himself, with the captain’s efficiency described by supporters as “pitiful” amid Al-Nassr’s failure to significantly threaten Al-Ain for lengthy durations.Postecoglou confronted even sharper criticism.Supporters questioned whether or not the Australian had made the distinction they anticipated after his appointment, with Al-Nassr showing wanting solutions at each ends of the pitch because the scoreline continued to worsen.Requires his dismissal grew louder because the defeat unfolded.For a membership that entered its AFC Champions League Elite return with ambitions of going deep into the competitors, there might hardly have been a extra damaging opening evening. Ronaldo and Al-Nassr now have seven matches to alter the story, however the first one has already left them with a four-goal deficit and little or no margin for an additional collapse.