So said Al Nasr manager Rudi Garcia Cristiano Ronaldo miss changed the game when his side lost 3-1 to Al Ittihad in the Saudi Super Cup on Thursday.
It certainly wasn’t a sitter the veteran missed as he leapt above two defenders to meet a headed cross, but it was pretty much straight for the goalkeeper who turned the attempt away shortly before the break.
Ronaldo’s side were 1-0 down at the time and things immediately got worse as less than 30 seconds after seeing his shot saved Al Ittihad went down at the other end to make it 2-0.
Brazilian star Talisca gave hope to Al Nassr in the 67th minute, but they couldn’t find the equalizer and a stoppage-time goal made it 3–1 for the Jeddah side.
Garcia didn’t exactly put the blame at his superstar striker’s feet, but he did risk ruffling his feathers by saying his missed opportunity changed the game.
“One of the things that changed the course of the game was Cristiano’s missed opportunity in the first half,” said Garcia.
“I congratulate Al-Ittihad. They showed a much better first half than us, and we played a good second half, but unfortunately we couldn’t adjust the result. It is true that we regret losing the Super Cup, but we are still first in the league.’
It was an eventful start for Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia, as he scored twice for the Riyadh All Stars in the friendly defeat to PSG in his first game since making the move.
However, he is still looking for his first Al Nassr goal, playing in a 1-0 win over Al Ittifaq before losing to Al Ittihad in the Super Cup.
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