Fenerbahce manager Ismail Kartal was hit by a bottle thrown from the stands in the moments leading up to his shock post-match resignation on Thursday night.
After suffering its first league defeat of the season, Al-Nassr needed an immediate response, and Ronaldo made sure the squad understood what he expected from the opening moments. Cristiano Ronaldo had a clear message for his Al-Nassr teammates before they stepped onto the pitch against Abha, but the Portuguese superstar’s words revealed much more than his desire to win another Saudi Pro League game. After suffering its first league defeat of the season, Al-Nassr needed an immediate response, and Ronaldo made sure the squad understood what he expected from the opening moments. The 41-year-old would go on to play a decisive role himself, scoring the opening goal in a 2-1 victory at Al-Awwal Park. Yet before the match even began, Ronaldo had already attempted to set the tone inside the dressing room with a speech that reflected the mentality that has defined his career. Al-Nassr entered the Abha match looking to recover from a 2-1 defeat against Al-Ittihad, the club’s first loss of the 2026-27 Saudi Pro League campaign. The setback had come in the fifth round and provided the defending champions with their first real setback of the new season. Rather than allowing the result to linger, Ronaldo urged his teammates to draw a line under it. His message focused heavily on the opening stages of the Abha game and the importance of establishing control immediately. Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr. “Let me tell you something, the last match is over, and it has become the past”, he said. The forward then made his expectations even clearer, calling on the team to attack the match with maximum intensity. For Ronaldo, the response had to begin from the first whistle rather than develop gradually as the game progressed. Ronaldo reveals exactly what he wanted from Al-Nassr Ronaldo’s pre-match speech centered on one simple demand: Al-Nassr had to start with overwhelming strength and make Abha believe that winning was almost impossible. “Today, in the first twenty minutes, we have to go in with all our strength, make them believe that winning today is impossible. The first twenty minutes will be decisive, lads; let’s start with great strength today, let’s go”, Ronaldo ended passionately. 🚨🐐 Cristiano Ronaldo Delivered This Passionate Pre-Match Speech To The Al-Nassr Squad Before Their Game Against Abha."The Last Match Is Over And Has Become The Past. Today, In The First Twenty Minutes, We Have To Go In With Full Strength. Make Them Believe That Winning Today…— The Nassr Tribune™️ (@AlNassrTribune) September 10, 2026 The 41-year-old stressed the same principles, telling his teammates to play with maximum focus from the beginning and impose their style immediately. The message was direct, aggressive and unmistakably Ronaldo. Interestingly, his emphasis on the first 20 minutes almost became prophetic. Ronaldo opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, rising to meet a corner from Ângelo and sending a powerful header toward the far post, with the ball striking the post before crossing the line. Ronaldo then led by example For Ronaldo, the evening was another example of his relentless approach to soccer. He demanded intensity from his teammates before kickoff, then backed up his words by scoring himself, helping Al-Nassr immediately put its first league defeat of the season behind it. His pursuit of 1,000 goals continues to attract most of the headlines, but the Abha match offered another glimpse into why he remains such an influential figure inside the Al-Nassr dressing room. His speech was built around urgency, confidence, and refusing to carry a previous defeat into the next game. At 41, Ronaldo still expects the same standards from himself and those around him. Against Abha, his message was simple: forget the defeat, start aggressively, and make the opponent feel Al-Nassr’s presence immediately.
Crystal Palace have no intention of allowing Ismaila Sarr to leave the club despite growing interest from Saudi Pro League clubs. The 28-year-old winger was heavily linked with an exit during the closing stages of the summer transfer window, with Liverpool making a significant attempt to sign him. However, Palace rejected a £50 million offer […] The post Crystal Palace stance emerges as Saudi clubs circle Premier League attacker appeared first on CaughtOffside.
Tap a headline to view metadata and excerpt fields in Sportra, then use the article website button to continue on the original publisher page.
/https%3A%2F%2Fsportsmole-media-prod.s3.gra.io.cloud.ovh.net%2F25%2F20%2Frobin-veldman.jpg)