“Tomorrow, remontada!” declared a confident Cristiano Ronaldo in the buildup to the decisive AFC Champions League encounter against Al Ain. However, on the night, there was no such ‘remontada’ as Al Nassr crashed out via a penalty shootout. This means Luis Castro’s side can fully concentrate on the league as the season approaches its end, right? But, it’s not that simple. Yesterday’s game saw 3 starters for the Knights of Najd suffering injuries. And, the initial diagnosis is not a positive one.

The Saudi Arabian trio of Abdulrahman Ghareeb, Mohammed Al-Fatil, and Abdulelah Al-Amri are the ones set to be sidelined. The loss of Ghareeb, in particular, is set to be a big blow for the Cristiano Ronaldo-led side. Ghareeb was impressive on the night and even scored Al Nassr’s opener in the first half. However, he has faced his share of injury issues this season and just recovered from one. As per reports, the 26-year-old has an injury in the connective tissue which means he is estimated to be out of action for at most 6 weeks. Well, that’s just a part of all the problems.

The center-back duo of Al-Fatil and Al-Amri reportedly have a muscle rupture. Their recovery period is estimated to be up to 6 weeks too. 12 points behind Al Hilal, Cristiano Ronaldo & Co.’s chances of winning the league have gotten much harder. Fortunately, they can count on Aymeric Laporte who was suspended for the game yesterday.

All three aforementioned players could not complete the match due to injury issues. But, was this the reason behind Al Nassr’s Champions League exit? Perhaps the biggest miss was another player who was unavailable yesterday.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. felt the absence of an injured Anderson Talisca

Other than Cristiano Ronaldo himself, it’s hard to name a player as influential as Talisca was for Al Nassr this season. In 25 games, the Brazilian racked up 25 goals while providing 4 assists. Unfortunately, Talisca suffered an anterior tendon injury in training. As a result, while not officially confirmed, he is likely to miss out on the rest of the season! The clue lies in a recent social media update where he said, “I promise to be stronger next season.”

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His energy and goal threat would have made a huge difference, not just yesterday, but in the first leg as well. Even in the penalty shootout, 3 Al Nassr players missed their attempts! Had Talisca been available, he would have surely lined up for Castro’s men for the spot-kick. Furthermore, his absence might have been the reason Ghareeb was put into the starting XI just after returning from injury. And that did not turn out too well.

How will Al Nassr and Cristiano Ronaldo cope with all these injuries? Share your thoughts below.

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