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Al-Nassr fans on X blasted Cristiano Ronaldo's teammate Anderson Talisca for being selfish during their 3-1 home win against Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League on December 22.
The first half remained evenly contested with Steven Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq showing great defensive discipline despite not having much of the ball. However, Alex Telles broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute with a long-range screamer which dipped into the back of the net.
Talisca had a great opportunity to double Al-Nassr's advantage in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time but his effort was hit straight at the keeper. Moussa Dembele's shot was goal-bound in the 55th minute but Telles made a crucial goal-line clearance to keep Cristiano Ronaldo and Co.'s lead intact.
The Knights of Najd doubled their advantage four minutes later after Cristiano Ronaldo took full advantage of a poor clearance. The Portugal icon headed the ball into the path of Marcelo Brozovic, who was able to find the bottom-left corner.
Al-Ettifaq conceded a penalty in the 72nd minute after Abdulrahman Yousef handled Sadio Mane's cross. Cristiano Ronaldo made no mistake from the spot to make it 3-0, netting his 51st goal of 2023.
The five-time Ballon d'Or appeared lined up to take a free-kick from a good position five minutes later. However, Talisca took it instead, narrowly missing the target. Mohammed Al-Kuwaykibi scored a consolation goal for Al-Ettifaq in the 85th minute but Al-Nassr were able to seal a 3-1 win to take home all three points.
Fans slammed Talisca for his poor performance. The Brazilian was guilty of going for goal too often instead of trying to play the right pass to his teammates. Moreover, he lost three duels and only landed two shots on target from four opportunities.
One fan posted:
"Talisca cannot play winger. He's always selfish and doesn't pass."
Who was the Player of the Match in Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr vs Al-Ettifaq?
Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr cruised to a comfortable 3-1 over Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League to keep the pressure on Al-Hilal. The Knights of Najd now have 40 points from 17 games, 10 points behind leaders Al-Hilal, with a game in hand. Let's take a look at who the Player of the Match was.
As per FotMob, Alex Telles was given the highest rating of any player on the pitch (8.7). The former Manchester United full-back scored a brilliant goal, made a goal-line clearance, and completed 55 out of his 62 passes with an accuracy of 89%.
In addition, Telles created three big chances in attack, made nine passes into the final third, and won all four of his tackles. He also looked assured defensively, making three recoveries and winning six duels.
