The management of Al Nassr Club is growing increasingly frustrated with coach Luis Castro, and the upcoming Super Cup match could be his final opportunity to demonstrate his value. After missing several recent friendly matches, Cristiano Ronaldo is anticipated to make a triumphant return in the Super Cup semi-final against Al Taawoun on August 14, adding to the excitement surrounding this pivotal clash.
Coach Luis Castro’s team endured a disappointing season without winning any major titles. Al Nassr Club lost the Saudi Pro League championship to Al Hilal and finished the season 14 points behind Neymar’s team. They also failed in the Saudi Super Cup, the Copa del Rey and were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League by Al Ain.
However, the only bright spot is that Cristiano Ronaldo had an excellent individual season, scoring a record 35 goals and 11 assists in the Saudi Pro League, the most in a season in the history of the tournament. In total, he scored 44 goals and assisted 13 more goals in 45 matches in all competitions. Cristiano Ronaldo broke the record of former Al Nassr striker Abderrazak Hamdallah, who scored 34 goals in the 2018-2019 Saudi Pro League season.
Coach Luis Castro had bad luck in the Saudi Pro League pre-season friendlies, partly due to the absence of Ronaldo. Photo: GETTY.
Most recently, Al Nassr Club suffered a heavy 0-3 defeat against La Liga 2 side UD Almería in the most recent friendly match on August 8, which angered fans. Even without the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo and Aymeric Laporte, Al Nassr still fielded a solid starting lineup with stars like Sadio Mane, Marcelo Brozovic, and Otavio. However, UD Almería proved to be the dominant team from the opening minutes.
After a series of relentless attacks, Spain finally took the lead thanks to an own goal from Ali Lajami. A cross from the Almería winger hit Lajami’s feet and went into the net after going out of the goalkeeper’s reach.
Just six minutes later, Luis Javier Suárez doubled the lead when he received the ball just outside the area and had space to advance. The Colombian striker calmly fired a low shot that Nawaf Al Aqidi was unable to block, increasing the score to 2-0 for Almería. The third goal was sealed by César Montes, who headed in a precise cross in the 60th minute.
Al Nassr Club is nothing without Ronaldo. Photo: GETTY.
After the match, one fan said that Al Nassr Club would not be able to win without Cristiano Ronaldo: “We are finished, without Ronaldo this team will have nothing.” Another person suggested Ronaldo to leave the team to save his career: “Cristiano Ronaldo leave this club. They will not help you achieve anything.”
Another said: “It’s a shame Al Nassr couldn’t beat weak Almeria.” Another claimed: “No team in Saudi Arabia concedes goals like Al Nassr every week. Player. What the hell is this sport doing to concede 3 goals like this?”
Indeed, without its brightest star, Cristiano Ronaldo, Al Nassr Club appears to be just a shadow of its former self after a string of disappointing results in a series of friendly matches.
