Picture Credit: Twitter
After Al-Nassr’s quarter-final victory over Raja Casablanca in the Arab Club Champions Cup on Sunday, the players from the Moroccan side waited after the game to take selfies with Cristiano Ronaldo. The video of the Raja squad waiting in the car park to take photos with the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star made waves on social media and was watched more than 56,000 times on Twitter. The match ended in a 3-1 victory for the Saudi side, with Ronaldo scoring the opening goal.
The video shared on Twitter shows the Raja side waiting around outside their team bus for the Al-Nassr players to take photos with Ronaldo, among the other stars in the Saudi camp who have made their name in European football. CR7’s signing to the Saudi side has been nothing short of a marketing boon as more and more players join the league, courtesy of the Saudi PIF’s massive investment into the domestic league.
Talking about the match, Ronaldo scored the opener in the 19th minute, assisted by Talisca. Al-Nassr then went 3-0 up thanks to goals by Al-Ghanam and Seko Fofana before conceding an own goal by Madu. Al-Nassr will face Baghdad’s Al-Shorta in the semifinals as Ronaldo looks to win his first piece of silverware since the Italian Super Cup in 2021.
Sadio Mane strengthens Al Nassr’s midfield
Despite all the headlines being grabbed by the legendary Portugese striker, another iconic forward made his debut for the club in this game, namely former Liverpool and Bayern Munich forward Sadio Mane. The Senegalese international didn’t have the best of seasons in Bavaria and has been allowed to move to Saudi Arabia as Bayern look to rebuild their attack. While he didn’t score a goal, the player looked impressive for his first outing and made some key passes and chances.
The biggest signings for Al-Nassr in terms of footballing have probably been the addition of Inter Milan’s Marcelo Brozovis and RC Lens’s Seko Fofana. Both are players who are truly among the world’s elite in dictating the midfield’s tempo, especially Brozovic who’s deep lying style took Inter Milan to a Coppa Italia title and the Champions League final last year, while Fofana’s incredible ball carrying, and creative skill brought Lens to within a point of the Ligue 1 title. Both combined well to dominate the midfield and Al-Nassr will hope the partnership continues to be fruitful in the upcoming season.
