Al Nassr Vs Abha, King Cup 2023 Match Updates: Here is the squad
Al Nassr: Amin Al-Bukhari, Agustin Rossi, David Ospina (injured) 34 Colombia July 2022, Waleed Abdullah, Nawaf Al-Aqidi, Abdulaziz Rahma, Abdullah Madu, Mohammed Al-Fatil , Abdulelah Al-Amri, Alvaro Gonzalez, Yousef Haqawi, Ali Al-Oujami (Lajami), Abdulaziz Al Faraj, Aser Abdulfattah Hawsawi, Ghislain Konan, Majed Mohammed Qasheesh, Mohammed Qassem Al Nakhli, Sultan Al-Ghannam, Hamad Al-Mansour, Nawaf Al-Boushail, Abdulmajeed Al-Sulaiheem, Abdullah Al-Khaibari, Luiz Gustavo, Ali Al-Hassan, Khalid Hussain Kaabi, Muhammad Yahya Sahlouli, Gonzalo ‘Pity’ Martinez, Sami Al-Najei, Majed Al-Ammari, Anderson Talisca, Ayman Ahmed Yahya, Abdulfattah Asiri, Khalid Al-Ghannam, Abdulrahman Ghareeb, Abdulaziz Saud Al-Aliwa, Jaloliddin Masharipov, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mohammed Maran, Meshari Al-Nemer, Fahad Aqeel Al Zubaidi, Muhannad Abdullah.
Ronaldo’s move to Al Nassr: So far a win for club, country and the footballing great
Cristiano Ronaldo storms off the pitch kicking a water bottle; Ronaldo hugs a 10-year-old boy who lost his father in the Turkey-Syria earthquake; Ronaldo makes Erik Ten Hag suffer; Ronaldo poses for selfies with the locals. It was the comeback week for Ronaldo into mainstream football consciousness. Not that the world had ever forgotten him, or his news or the reels ever stopped, but in the seven-odd days, he has been hogging unwavering attention, which in a sense defines his footballing existence. There were other snippets and nuggets too—snatches of him rattling out Arabic; of him belting out a pre-game pep-talk; his daughter rendering an Arabic song; his club’s website is still reeling in the sudden onslaught of web-traffic.
They are the perfect pair too—a nation that wants to build an image purchasing the most image-conscious living footballer. (READ MORE)
Referee blows the whistle and Al-Nassr beat Abha in the quarterfinals of the Kings Cup by 3-1 margin with goals from Al Najei, Al Khaibari and Maran and qualifies for the semi final of the competition. Al Nassr 3-1 Abha
Five minutes added on. Meanwhile, Talisca and Lajami were the ones who came on for Ronaldo and Marran. Abha are offering little threat towards the end, and Al-Nassr look certain to reach the semi-finals with a well-deserved win here. Al Nassr 3-1 Abha
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87' Ronaldo is off and he leaves the pitch after being subbed. A disappointing game for him. He's muttering to himself as he wanders off after a third game without a goal. Al Nassr 3-1 Abha
This is Ronaldo's reaction at the stroke of halftime!
Another chance for Ronaldo as a nicely passed ball lands in front of him but the header is wide of the post. Oh dear! He looks fustrated again. He is also having a word or two with the refs. Al Nassr 3-1 Abha
15 mins remaining on the clock. Ronaldo once again looks a bit unhappy after failing to receive a pass. His first touch has been a bit poor at times. Meanwhile, Husky on social media has a word of advice for him - "Cristiano Ronaldo. Relax. You are overthinking the way in which you could get your goals. Keep it simple. The players can supply you with chances. Just remain calm and play. It’ll come". Al Nassr 3-1 Abha
Abdulfattah is on the mark and goalkeeper Nawaf tried to save it but it was just too good on the angle. Al Nassr 3-1 Abha
Alhassan comes on for Al-Najei.
Al-Selouli, Abdulfattah come in for Abha while Saddifi, Al-Sadi come on.
Abha get another attack forward with Al Amri but Al-Nassr is not threatened. They once again play backwards. Al Nassr 3-0 Abha
Ronaldo with a cross from the left flank but does not make an impact. His fans are getting restless online. 'Waiting desperately for Ronaldo to score tonight Come On Goat', writes Abhimanyu on social media. Al Nassr 3-0 Abha
Abha get a chance as Nawaf Al-Sadi shoots a volley on the turn. But the spectacular effort goes wide. Al Nassr 3-0 Abha
GOOOOOAAAAL! Marran scores the third goal after a poor piece of defensive work from Abha. Goalkeeper Elpassy tried to palm it but Marran got to the ball but the ball is still in the danger zone and none of the defenders went to it. A free shot is taken and its a fine goal. Al Nassr 3-0 Abha
Back underway in Riyadh as Abha kick off. Al Nassr 2-0 Abha
Half-Time! 2 mins of time added on comes to an end. So Al Nassr keep their two-goal lead intact. Goals from Abdullah Al-Khaibari and Sami Al-Najei gave Al Nassr the lead. Cristiano Ronaldo is yet to score a goal but is looking menacing. Al Nassr 2-0 Abha
Abha are finding it hard to deal with the flurry of attacks from Nassr. They are also finding it hard to find an attacking move. Meanwhile, Ronaldo once again bursts forward and takes a shot from just outside the box but its wide off the post. Al Nassr 2-0 Abha
Ronaldo gallops down the left and takes a curling shot from the edge of the box but the keeper does well to stop it. While it was an off-side but Ronaldo is looking dangerous and ominous. Al Nassr 2-0 Abha
Good move from Al-Nassr as their left back goes forward and plays it into Ronaldo, who flicks it to Ghareeb. While the move does not lead to a goal, the flick was sublime. Al Nassr 2-0 Abha
Abha player Saddiki goes into the ref' book and becomes the first player to get a yellow card in this game. Al Nassr 2-0 Abha
GOAAALLLL! Alkhaibari with a sizzling finish finds the back of the net. Al Nassr 2-0 Abha
FREE-KICK! Cristiano Ronaldo stands over it with his familiar posture. He hits it nicely but the ball hits the wall and falls into the box. It falls to an Al-Nassr player but he can't get his feet right and the ball is cleared. Al Nassr 1-0 Abha
Chance for Ronaldo! Sami gets a lovely ball and he squares it to Ronaldo in front of goal. It's slightly behind Cr7 and he can't get a shot off, Sami should have gone for goal himself. Its offiside though. Al Nassr 1-0 Abha
Goal line clearance saves the day for Al Nassr else it was surely an equalizer for Abha. Quite a frenetic start to this game i must say.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL ! Al Nassr take the lead within 10 seconds ! Sami scores the first goal and a brilliant start for Nassr. Al Nassr 1-0 Abha
KICK-OFF!! Referee blows the whistle and we are underway with Al Nassr vs Abha King Cup of Champion quarterfinal match at the King Saud University Stadium.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the biggest star in Al-Nassr and the Saudi Pro League’s history after signing an incredibly lucrative contract with the Saudi club, where he takes home an eye-watering amount of money over the next couple of years – roughly £175 million per season, as per reports. So who are the ones who are plying their trade in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, or the United Arab Emirates? And who will be the ones who could play a crucial role in the 37-year-old finding form again? Here is a look at the ones who will be brushing shoulders with Ronaldo: (CLICK TO READ)
Cristiano Ronaldo’s fretful time so far in Saudi Arabia has taken another turn as teammate Luis Gustavo believes that he has made things ‘difficult’ for him and the other members of the team and that other clubs are targeting Al-Nassr because of Ronaldo’s presence. “Certainly, the presence of Cristiano (Ronaldo) makes it difficult for us, as all teams seek to participate against him in the best possible way, and he gives motivation to everyone,” Gustavo told RT Arabic.
Al Nassr’s nutrionist Jose Blesa has revealed the diet secrets of Cristiano Ronaldo and says the football star wears two rest meters: The fitness ring and the bracelet. “Cristiano has a very good nutritional education and eats a wide variety of foods to have energy for every game and training, without any strange intervention that is in fashion” José Blesa told the Spanish newspaper Ideal. The nutritionist also reckons Ronaldo’s fitness regimen is spreading across the team: “Since he’s been here, all the players have been training harder and following a stricter diet … I have not seen a club like this in which the players improve practically 90% in their body composition every time I see them: they have less fat, more muscle and they do all the exercises at their fingertips. It is a luxury to work there.”
In a little more than three months, the club that coughed up an astonishing 177 million pounds to acquire the signature of one of the game’s all-time greats though ageing and plateauing, has achieved its primary targets. A) It has forged an identity overnight. Until this year, Al Nassr hardly struck a chord outside Saudi Arabia, though it has local relevance, grooming some of the country’s finest talents like Majed Abdullah, Fahd Al-Herafy and Mohaisn Al-Jam’aan. B) It had already become a commercial blockbuster, shirts have flown off the shelves, sponsorship deals are flying in, and match-day tickets are frenziedly sold out. C) The country has left its first big imprint in world football. (READ MORE)
Cristiano Ronaldo opened up on his journey at the Saudi League for his team Al Nassr after his hatrick in the previous game. He has netted 8 goals and did two assists for the Riyadh team thus far. “I’m very happy, but the most important thing is the team and the victory,” he told SSC Sports. “The team did a fantastic job: they ran, they fought! Goals are important, but most important of all is the team,” Ronaldo said.
Cristiano Ronaldo will play the King Cup of Champions where Al-Nassr battle Abha at the King Saud University Stadium. Al Nassr beat Al-Adalah 2-0 in the Round of 16 to move forward. Abha, meanwhile, advanced in the cup tournament after defeating Al-Taawoun. Stay tuned for live updates.