Cristiano Ronaldo branded ‘finished’ after an unworthy howler | OneFootball

Cristiano Ronaldo added another goal in Al Nassr’s recent match, which not only brought him closer to the 1,000-goal mark (taking his tally to 970), but also helped the team secure a 4-0 win over Al Wasl in the AFC Champions League Two quarterfinals, sealing their place in the semifinals.

However, before being substituted in the second half, the 41-year-old Portuguese star missed a clear scoring chance, which made him the target of criticism on social media.

CR7 criticized for missing a goal

The Al Nassr captain was responsible for opening the scoring in the 11th minute thanks to a precise cross from Boushal. He was then replaced in the second half by Abdullah Al-Hamdan in the 68th minute.

Iñigo Martínez (24’), Abdulelah Al-Amri (26’) and Sadio Mané (80’) added the rest of the goals in the win, but CR7 could have scored one more in the second half.

“The Bug” broke free, got into the six-yard box and headed a cross from Brozovic over the bar from just a few meters out, with no opposition and the goal practically open.

The reaction was immediate. Cristiano himself put his hands on his head, in disbelief at a miss that is unusual in a career defined precisely by his efficiency in those kinds of plays.

At the same time, it also drew criticism from fans, who, far from downplaying the situation, expressed their anger on X, calling the play “ridiculous” and even questioning his current level:

“I can’t believe he missed that,” said one of them. “His decline in heading is terrible,” commented another.

“He’s finished. Even my grandfather would have scored that easily. He can’t even do the one thing he’s good at anymore,” wrote a third fan. “It’s been so long since he scored a header that it’s ridiculous now,” added another.

While it is true that only 3 of the 26 goals Cristiano has scored this season have been headers, his goal-scoring instinct remains intact: he has 24 goals in the Saudi Pro League, putting him just three behind top scorer Ivan Toney, who has also played two more matches for Al-Ahli.

Meanwhile, Al Nassr will play their next Saudi Pro League match at home on Wednesday the 29th against Al-Ahli (3rd), in a direct clash near the top of the table that will pit two prolific scorers against each other.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.