Ange Postecoglou has thrown his support behind Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portuguese superstar continued a difficult month with a pair of uncharacteristic mistakes for Al Nassr.
In the aftermath of the 41-year old’s feud with Portugal coach Jorge Jesus that saw him receive a 30-day international suspension and minor fine for walking out of team camp during a recent Nations League round, Ronaldo shocked onlookers as his quest to become the first player ever to score 1000 goals came off the rails.
Ronaldo first erred when attempting to break the deadlock against Neom SC deep into injury time of the first half from the penalty spot.
Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.
However, his strike was well wide, with goalkeeper Marcin Bulka not even needed to make the save.
Ronaldo put his hands to his head immediately after to lament the blown opportunity, with son Cristiano Jr also visibly upset in the stands.
Just minutes into the second half, he’d see another golden chance to score a 982nd career goal go begging.
A header across the box from a cross in was perfectly placed for the simplest of left-footed tap ins, only for Ronaldo to hit it badly just centimetres out and send it skewing off the side of his foot and again off target.
Another wayward effort inside the box later in the match completed a dirty day.
The missed penalty was his fourth for Al Nassr since joining the Saudi team in 2023, out of 31 taken.
However, Al Nassr still claimed their third consecutive victory via Portuguese teammate Joao Felix, whose strike in the 61st minute secured a 1-0 scoreline.
And post-match, Postecoglou, who has won eight and lost just two of his first 11 games in his maiden season at the helm across leagues, made it clear the result is all he cares about.
The Australian manager made a beeline for a still disappointed-looking Ronaldo after the final whistle, putting his arm around his shoulder and offering some words of consolation.
He elaborated further after the match, saying the team result was his priority and that the team would “work on making up” for any errors.
“The most important thing for us is to achieve victory,” Postecoglou said.
“This is the nature of football, and it is good that we create this number of chances, and we will work on making up for the mistakes.
“The whole team put in a great performance, and we achieved victory against a difficult opponent that possesses all the ingredients for success.
“But we are suffering from clear absences and we will try to get all the players ready.
“We work as a family, so a win will be good for everyone and a loss will fall upon the whole team, so we must support one another and move forward with steady steps.”
Ronaldo played all 90 minutes in Al Nassr’s win, in stark contrast to the Nations League matches from Portugal that saw him leave the squad claiming coach Jesus had broken promises with him.
Leave a Reply