Cristiano Ronaldo issued an apology following the delay of Al-Nassr’s match against Al-Wehda, which was postponed due to heavy traffic. The forward then made a significant impact by scoring and providing a penalty that helped secure a 2-0 victory in the Saudi Pro League on Tuesday.
The Al-Nassr team bus arrived nine minutes past the scheduled kick-off, leading to a one-hour delay before the match got underway. Ronaldo allowed his teammate, Sadio Mane, to take the penalty, guiding the team to the win.
With this result, Stefano Pioli’s side currently sits in third place with 47 points. They are eight points behind leaders Al-Ittihad, who have a game in hand, and four points behind second-placed Al-Hilal.
“It was a challenging game. The first half was tough as we spent three hours on the bus due to traffic and road closures,” Ronaldo shared with SSC Sports.
“I would like to apologise on behalf of Al-Nassr for the late start. This should not occur again. I’m sorry,” added the seasoned Portugal international, who is 40 years old.
“Our start was not the best, but we improved in the second half. We addressed our problems and scored two goals, so we are pleased.”
Ronaldo commended his teammates for their resilience following a previous loss to Al-Ettifaq.
“(The comeback) should always happen. This is Al-Nassr; we need to respond… We must keep winning and see what unfolds.”
The team’s focus, according to Ronaldo, is on both the SPL and the AFC Champions League Elite, where they will face Esteghlal Tehran in the round of 16 on Monday.
“Step-by-step, we need to rebuild our confidence… We must keep winning, win, win, and then see what transpires.”
Ronaldo is currently leading the SPL scoring chart with 17 goals this season, one ahead of Karim Benzema from Al-Ittihad.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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