On the evening of 15/4 at Al-Awwal Park, Ronaldo played while not in optimal physical condition. The Portuguese forward suffered from a stomach ache and fatigue before leaving the field in the 89th minute.
Coach Jorge Jesus revealed he had considered not playing Ronaldo in the match. "He wasn't in good condition. Ronaldo had a stomach ache, was fatigued, and went straight to the locker room to vomit after leaving the field," the Portuguese coach stated.
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Cristiano Ronaldo (yellow shirt) reacts during Al Nassr's 1-0 victory over Al Ettifaq on matchday 29 of the Saudi Pro League at Al-Awwal Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 15/4/2026. Photo: Reuters |
During his 89 minutes on the field, Ronaldo had 28 touches, completed two dribbles, and took seven shots, one of which hit the post and another was cleared off the goal line.
He was instrumental in the sequence leading to the only goal. In the 31st minute, the former Man Utd and Real Madrid forward took a shot from outside the penalty area, which goalkeeper Marek Rodak saved. Kingsley Coman then rushed in, got past the Al Ettifaq goalkeeper, and tapped the ball into an empty net.
The 1-0 result extended Al Nassr's winning streak to 17 consecutive matches, including 14 in the domestic league – a club record. Al Nassr also solidified their position at the top of the Saudi Pro League table with 76 points, eight points ahead of Al Hilal with one more game played.
After the match, Ronaldo took to social media to celebrate and praise the fans: "The atmosphere in the stands was fantastic."
Coach Jesus also emphasized that fan support was a great source of motivation. "The stadium had a special atmosphere today. The players clearly feel that we are getting closer to our goal, and the fans believe that too," he said.
Al Nassr entered the match facing suspicions of referee favoritism, stemming from Al Ahli's reaction after their draw with Al Fayha. However, Coach Jesus denied this, stating that many unfavorable decisions had also gone against Al Nassr. "It's strange that no one asked me about the referee today. We also suffered from unfair decisions," he expressed.
On 19/4, Al Nassr will face Al Wasl in the AFC Champions League Two quarterfinals at Zabeel Stadium, Dubai. Ronaldo is expected to recover in time and start again.
By Hong Duy (Source: ESPN, The National News)
