"His absence was influential" - Stefano Pioli rues one Al-Nassr star's absence as Cristiano Ronaldo's side slump to loss
Al-Nassr boss Stefano Pioli reckons Cristiano Ronaldo's teammate Anderson Talisca's absence contributed to his side's 2-1 loss to Al-Qadsiah. The Brazilian veteran missed the Saudi Pro League fixture after reportedly suffering an injury to his anterior muscle earlier this week.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. were unable to get over the line in their league clash following the international break. Ronaldo gave the Knights of Najd an early lead in the 32nd minute. However, Al-Nassr failed to take their chances, leading to Al-Qadsiah securing a comeback win via goals from Julian Quinones (37') and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (50').
Following the game, Pioli spoke to the media where he said (via @TheNassrZone):
“We have a difference in performance, so we must maintain continuity. Unfortunately, today the players were not rewarded for the levels they presented in the past period. We are supposed to offer more than that.. We are working on creating more chances and today Talisca's absence was influential.”
He added:
“We are one team.. We do not divide the problem.. We win together and lose together.. and we do not blame one person in particular for the loss.”
Talisca has struggled to replicate the same form he has shown in previous years this season. The 30-year-old has often caught the wrath of fans due to poor work rate and lack of chances created, in stark contrast to Pioli's post-match comments. He has scored eight goals and provided zero assists in 17 appearances across competitions this season.
How did Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr fare during their 2-1 loss to Al-Qadsiah?
Cristiano Ronaldo's title aspirations suffered a massive blow after Al-Nassr lost 2-1 against Al-Qadsiah. This was the Knights of Najd's first league defeat and they remain in third place with 22 points from 11 games, six points behind leaders Al-Hilal, having played one game extra.
Al-Nassr dominated possession with 65 percent of the ball, completing 490 passes with an accuracy of 86 percent. In contrast, the visitors had 35 percent possession and completed 214 passes with an accuracy of 71 percent.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. also looked much more threatening going forward, landing 20 shots in total with seven being on target (xG of 3.29). Meanwhile, Al-Qadsiah were lethal on the counter and mustered 10 shots in total with six being on target (xG of 1.43).
Disclaimer: The post-game stats were taken from FotMob on 23rd November 2024 at 1:33 AM IST. They are subject to change as per the platform's prerogative.
