Al-Nassr defeat Al-Tai 2-0 but Ronaldo missing from team

RIYADH: Al-Nassr’s first match following the historic signing of Cristiano Ronaldo ended in a 2-0 victory over Al-Tai at Mrsool Park in Riyadh on Friday night.

The new hero was not eligible to make his debut as he was serving the first game in a two-match ban outstanding from his time while at Manchester United.

The match was initially scheduled for Thursday evening but bad weather conditions had hit electrical circuits, resulting in a 24-hour postponement.

Conditions had barely improved overnight and match officials conducted several inspections of the wet pitch before giving the game the green light.

The match kicked off 10 minutes late, but Al-Nassr went on to record their ninth win from 12 matches thanks to two goals from Talisca either side of halftime.

The Riyadh giants now lead the Roshn Saudi League table on 29 points, four ahead of second-place Al-Shabab who have played one match fewer. Al-Tai are in seventh place with 18 points from 12 outings.

Al-Nassr coach Rudi Garcia said that while he was pleased with the three points, he was unhappy the match had gone ahead on a pitch he described as a “swimming pool.”

He added that the playing conditions were worse than Thursday’s and presented injury risks for the players.