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For Al Nassr & Cristiano Ronaldo, normalcy has resumed. After the crushing defeat in the Riyadh Cup Final, ‘The Knights of Najd’ has returned to winning ways with a 1-0 victory against Al Fayha in the AFC Champions League. And the difference-maker of the night was the Portuguese attacker himself. Following the match, one of the Al Nassr players, who previously was involved in a controversial spat with Lionel Messi, has made a bold claim. And CR7 is firmly backing him on this one.

Left-back Aziz Behich joined the club on loan in January from Melbourne City. The Australian international has already taken to his new club like a duck to water. And the victory against Al Fayha seems to have fired him up. Following the match, he said, “Our goal at Al Nassr is to achieve the AFC Champions League title.” It seems the entire team shares the same mentality as Cristiano Ronaldo outlined the team’s plans.

The Portuguese attacker said, “We have 5 months ahead of us, full of matches, and it will be difficult because there are decisive matches, but we will be able to achieve what we want.” For Al Nassr, the tricky part will be balancing between the domestic league and the Asian Champions League. They trail behind Al Hilal by just 7 points in the former, while they are undefeated in the latter.

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However, Al Nassr doesn’t boast the best of records in the AFC tournament, having not won a single edition in their history. In fact, their last continental title was the Asian Super Cup way back in 1998. Regardless, they have the man who has won multiple Champions League trophies in Europe, Cristiano Ronaldo in the squad, and will be hoping his presence will inspire the team to achieve its goals. However, even with CR7, it is not going to be easy at all.

Cristiano Ronaldo winning the Asian Champions League might be a more significant achievement than his UCL victories!

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This is because things were different for the soccer legend in Europe. Real Madrid & Manchester United were two of the most dominant teams in the continent. Al Nassr on the other hand, is not yet a continental powerhouse. Furthermore, Ronaldo had gotten the time to settle at those clubs. Being 39 years of age, time is not with the Al Nassr captain and the expectations on him are much higher this time around.

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However, what works in Ronaldo’s favor is the squad chemistry. The Portuguese star has a good relationship with key players like Sadio Mane, Otavio, & Talisca. Coach Luis Castro is also aligned with CR7’s style of playing, a breath of fresh air in comparison to Ronaldo’s previous stint at Manchester United. The management has put together an impressive squad, labeled by Xavi as one of the best in Asia. Will they go all the way in the Champions League? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by

Adithya Narayanan

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Adithya is a Soccer beat writer at EssentiallySports. A Liverpool fanboy, he takes pride in being alive to witness Jurgen Klopp taking the Reds to domestic and European glory. Adithya loves an in-depth soccer chat involving tactical intricacies and stats.
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Edited by

Arijit Saha