Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is the most mentioned name during Al Nassr’s decline in all competitions. The climax of the “nightmare” for the Saudi Arabia team was their elimination from the AFC Champions League.

Poor performance has caused Al Nassr to fall into a state of complete crisis. Two forgettable weeks since the beginning of March this year have seen Al Nassr’s hopes of winning the title almost exhausted. Not only did they disappoint in the domestic Saudi Pro League, but they also ended their dream of winning the Asian championship (AFC Champions League) in a painful way in the quarter-finals.

Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has been the main character in recent days, but this time the 39-year-old striker does not play the hero. CR7 contributed significantly to Al Nassr’s downfall with unnecessary gestures and a series of surprising misses.

Al Nassr’s chance to compete for the title this season has ended and head coach Luis Castro is probably gradually feeling the heat on the bench. Ronaldo has great expectations for helping his team get out of a difficult situation, but in many ways, this is a mess of his own creation.

The nightmare of 2024

It can be said that 2024 is starting very badly for Al Nassr when the Riyadh city team has only won 2 out of 4 matches in the national championship since the end of the winter break in mid-February. After the victory against Al-Fateh and Al-Shabab, Al Nassr’s performance declined alarmingly. Al Nassr, in their first match without Ronaldo in 2024, was held at home by bottom team Al-Hazm, before losing miserably 1-3 to Al-Raed. Unforgettable results left Ronaldo and his teammates with no hope of chasing leading team Al Hilal.

The AFC Champions League brought a new expectation for Al Nassr when they appeared in the quarterfinals. However, their journey was blocked by Al Ain (UAE). With 3 missed penalty kicks in one match, Al Nassr’s elimination after the penalty shootout was completely deserved.

Despite all of Ronaldo’s contributions to Al Nassr, the Portuguese star is still the focus of criticism because of his great influence on this team.

Although Ronaldo maintained his incredible scoring performance in 2024, bad things happened to Al Nassr starting at the end of February, when their experienced striker behaved inappropriately in response to criticism. chants of the name of “great rival” Lionel Messi. The 39-year-old striker’s obscene gesture caused an uproar in Saudi Arabian football and was followed by a 1-match suspension, although Ronaldo personally always insisted that his actions would be accepted in Europe. “I will always respect the cultures of all countries, as I have done in the past. However, what people see is not always reality. I certainly will not repeat it. “That action too, but actually in Europe it’s normal. Sometimes I get caught up in the match and its developments make me make mistakes,” Ronaldo said after receiving a suspension from Saudi Pro League Organizing Committee.

Without Ronaldo, Al Nassr experienced a disappointing draw at home with weak opponent Al-Hazm. Although we can’t completely blame Ronaldo, maybe if the striker had been present, Al Nassr would not have played so poorly.

Sad ending in the Asian Cup

The first leg of the AFC Champions League quarterfinals against Al Ain Club marked the return of Cristiano Ronaldo. However, this striker remained silent in the face of the opponent’s effective defense and together with the home team suffered a 0-1 away defeat. Ronaldo’s poor form continued in the second leg, when he missed two opportunities to score.

It seemed that Ronaldo had crushed the criticism directed at him when he scored the equalizer at the end of the second extra period, forcing the match to enter a penalty shootout. However, the fact that Al Nassr received a 1-3 defeat in the “shootout” series caused Ronaldo’s previous performance to be discussed. Specifically, when the score was 2-2 and Al Ain was still ahead in total score, Ronaldo missed the ball from a distance of just 3 meters after a pass from his teammate. Although Alex Telles scored to send the match into extra time, Ronaldo’s miss was still a pity. If the Portuguese international had been able to take advantage of that opportunity, Al Nassr could have won in regular time.

Thus, after a series of disappointing matches, Al Nassr was 12 points behind leading team Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League. The dream of conquering the Saudi Pro League and AFC Champions League has disappeared, causing Al Nassr to face the prospect of nothing this season. The most important task right now is to lift your spirits and do your best to not end the season disappointingly. Ronaldo and other pillars of the team will play a key role in reviving Al Nassr. Their immediate goal is to win the right to participate in the AFC Champions League next season. To achieve this goal, Al Nassr needs to finish in the top positions of the Saudi Pro League or win the King Cup. However, the road ahead is not easy, especially when they face Al Hilal in the semi-finals of this year’s King Cup.