Cristiano Ronaldo issued an apology following the delay of Al Nassr’s match against Al Wehda, which was postponed due to traffic. The forward subsequently scored and won a penalty in a 2-0 triumph for Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League on Tuesday.
After the team’s bus arrived nine minutes late, causing a one-hour hold-up, Ronaldo allowed his teammate Sadio Mane to take the penalty and led Al Nassr to victory.
Stefano Pioli’s squad now sits in third place with 47 points, trailing league leaders Al Ittihad by eight points, who have a match in hand, and second-placed Al Hilal by four.
“It was a challenging match. The first half was tough because we had a three-hour bus journey due to traffic and closed roads.” Ronaldo stated in an interview with SSC Sports.
“On behalf of Al Nassr, I want to apologise for the late start of the game. This should not happen again. Sorry,” the 40-year-old Portuguese star added.
“We didn’t play very well at the start, but in the second half, we improved a bit. We resolved our issues and scored twice, so we’re pleased.“
Ronaldo commended his teammates for their resilience after the team had lost to Al Ettifaq previously.
“This is how a comeback should be. This is Al Nassr, and we need to respond … We must keep winning and see what unfolds.“
The forward indicated that the team’s focus remains on both the SPL and their upcoming match in the AFC Champions League Elite against Esteghlal Tehran in the round of 16 on Monday.
“We need to build our confidence game by game … Winning is essential, and we’ll see what happens next.“
Ronaldo currently tops the SPL scoring charts with 17 goals this season, one ahead of Al Ittihad’s Karim Benzema.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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