Al-Nassr are not going through the best of times. Despite having Cristiano Ronaldo up front, the Riyadh-based team has been struggling as of late. Not only did it lose track of Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League, but it also got eliminated from the AFC Champions League.
Luis Castro’s men have lost two of their last three games, with their last match being a penalty shootout loss to exit the continental tournament. The fact that Anderson Talisca missed all these games may not be a coincidence.
The Brazilian forward picked up a season-ending thigh injury just before the first leg of the AFC CL quarterfinals against Al Ain, who won the match 1-0. Talisca was in excellent form before the injury, with five goals in his last two matches.
Following a brace in the 3-2 win over Al-Shabab, the 30-year-old stepped up during Ronaldo’s suspension with a hat-trick in the 4-4 draw against Al-Hazm. Overall, he found the net 25 times in as many games across all competitions.
Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr with Anderson Talisca of Al Nassr during the Pre-Season Friendly match between Celta Vigo and Al Nassr at Estadio Algarve on July 17, 2023 in Faro, Portugal.
While Talisca was on fire until the injury, he had already established himself as Al-Nassr’s second-best player behind Ronaldo, who leads the team’s scoring charts with 29 goals. The team’s recent results suggest Ronaldo and company miss the Brazilian star badly.
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Al-Nassr, Ronaldo can still have title hopes
With the AFC Champions League no longer in sight, Al-Nassr face a challenging scenario to try and finish the campaign with a trophy. Though there are 11 rounds left in the Saudi Pro League, Al-Hilal are 12 points clear at the top of the table.
Besides, Jorge Jesus’ side is riding on a world record 28-game winning streak across all tournaments, so it’s hard to imagine it will suddenly stop winning anytime soon.
Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr reacts during the AFC Champions League Quarter Final 2nd Leg match between Al-Nassr and Al Ain at Al -Awwal Stadium on March 11, 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
In the event the league is no longer within touching distance, Al-Nassr’s best options to contend rely on two tournaments: the Saudi Super Cup and the King’s Cup.
To have a shot at the first, they’ll have to take down Al-Hilal in the semifinals. In the latter, Ronaldo and company will have to beat Al Khaleej, with Al-Hilal and Al Ittihad meeting in the other semifinal.
