SPL: “Cristiano Ronaldo no longer scores from free kicks…”, Al-Nassr’s coach

Al-Nassr’s coach, Jorge Jesus, has acknowledged that his team must improve on set pieces, noting that Cristiano Ronaldo is going through a difficult spell in this area. The statement comes after the Knights of Najd’s hard-fought 3-2 victory over Al-Shabab, who were reduced to ten after a player was sent off, on Saturday in the Saudi Pro League.

Al-Nassr, who had been on a run of three consecutive league defeats, were quickly put on the back foot by Saad Balobaid’s own goal in the second minute, followed six minutes later by Kingsley Coman’s brace. But the match swung quickly: Mohamed Simakan scored an own goal in the 31st minute and Carlos Junior equalized for Al-Shabab in the 53rd on a counterattack. The decisive winner came from Abdulrahman Ghareeb, who beat the goalkeeper from a corner in the 76th.

“We need to improve on set pieces, and we have the best set-piece taker, Cristiano Ronaldo. Lately, things haven’t been going well for him, and we hope to improve the situation,” Jesus explained via @TheNassrZone. At 40, Ronaldo has 16 goals and three assists in 19 appearances across all competitions, but he struggles to convert his set-piece chances into decisive opportunities.