Al-Nassr manager Stefano Pioli said he believed that his team played despite the criticism after a 0-0 draw against Esteghlal in Tehran in the first leg of their AFC Champions League.
The former boss of AC Milan, Pioli, has not won 11 of his 30 games since September 18, the Portuguese coach succeeded the Portuguese coach, at the Saudi club Saudi Pro League, including two defeats and a victory in their last five games.
“I am satisfied with the team’s performance,” said Pioli, via Byannassr. “We must not forget that there is [the second leg] in Riyadh.
Al-Nassr’s very first defeat against Al-Orobah last Friday, which came against the Saudi Pro League opponents who finished second in the second level last season, which means that they are 10 points behind the Al-Ittihad leaders in fourth with 11 games in their league campaign.
Some fans expressed their dissatisfaction with the Pioli on X after the impasse with Esteghlal at the Azadi stadium of 78,116 inhabitants, where Jhon Duran – a signature of 65 million pounds sterling by Aston Villa – was closest for visitors against the ninth team in Iran, hitting a post and repeatedly by the goalkeeper Hacein.
Who can exceed Seyed Hosseini? 🧤#Allite | #Sestvnsr pic.twitter.com/tyabxjr9zl
– #Allite | #Acltwo (@TheaFCCL) March 3, 2025
Pioli: “Do you want Al-Nassr to succeed?”
Account Al Nassr Zone, which has more than 61,000 subscribers, called to the exit of Pioli And suggested that he had been used to make supporters “suffer”, accusing the 59 -year -old man and his personnel of doing a “terrible work” and of giving to the team of Cristiano Ronaldo “without identity”.
“You must take measures because the situation is getting worse every day,” the club director general, Majed Janan Alsorour said. “Do you want Al-Nassr to succeed?” If you do, things should change as soon as possible.
Al-Nassr welcomes the sixth al-Shabab placed on Friday (7 p.m. GMT) in their high inner flight. The return match against Esteghlal will take place on March 10 (6 p.m. GMT).
One night to forget for Al Nassr in attack, but to remember for the defense of Esteghlal! #Allite | #Sestvnsr pic.twitter.com/rf7rnfbsar
– #Allite | #Acltwo (@TheaFCCL) March 3, 2025
Why didn’t Ronaldo play for Al Nassr in Iran?
Pioli said there were “physical reasons” for the captain and the top scorer of the Saudi Pro League Ronaldo missing the round trip of around 2,200 miles, Al Jazirah reported.
The point of sale said that Pioli did not wish to risk a more serious injury for the five -time winner of the Golden Ball, who shared a message of support for his team on his Instagram account – the most followed of the platform – hours before kick -off, saying to them: “Come on”.
Before the match, the DPA news agency, via Mailonlinereported that Al-Nassr had written to the organizers asking that the game be played “on neutral field” due to the “bad experience of Ronaldo in Tehran”.
Police should have disperse the crowds that assailed the Al-Nassr hotel during their visit to the Persepolis Tehran in September 2023.
Ronaldo was not involved when Al-Nassr drew 0-0 at the Azadi stadium against Persepolis, who also used the field on February 17, although his team has already qualified for the last 16 at that time.
Talisca: the “real error” of Al Nassr
Writing on X Friday, the former Al-Nassr striker Talisca said he “knows where the real mistake was” at the club.
“”[Duran] is a great player and will do a lot for this club, “said Talisca, who left for Fenerbahce on January 29, responding to a list of statistics from the former Aston Villa striker against Al-Orobah published by Byannassr.
“The problem is that you always want to find someone to blame for defeats, but you do not see where the real mistake is.
“Stop acting like that all the time. You know where the error is, you are just afraid to say it. In addition to that, you want to do in Duran what they did to enjoy others. »»
He is a great player and will do a lot for this club. The problem is that you always want to find someone to blame to defeat, but you do not see where the real mistake is. Stop acting like that all the time
You know where the error is, you are just afraid to say it, lol
– Andersontalisa (@talisca_aa) February 28, 2025
And in addition to that, you want to do in Doran what they did to me, to enjoy others. »»
– Andersontalisa (@talisca_aa) February 28, 2025
Esteghlal vs al-Nassr
Pioli has brought four changes against Esteghlal, bringing Sadio Mane for Ronaldo, the great-back Nawaf Boushal for Majed Qashish and the Ailiers Awad Ali Al-Hassan and Ayman Yahya for Abdulmajeed Al-Sulayhem and Wesley Teixeira.
The hosts set up a defense of five men and had 29% of the possession in the first half, but the newcomer of the Iranian national team Mohammad Rezadi tested the goalkeeper of Al-Nassr Bento with an angular reader.
During a meeting from start to finish, Ramin Rezaeian brilliantly directed the head of Ayman Yahya out of the line after the Iranian international Hosseini kept the Duran shot with his legs.
Esteghlal threatened after the break when Armin Sohrabian went into space, marking a brilliant restart after the Kyrgyzstan striker Joel Kojo came for Azadi at halftime.
Sohrabian transformed the supplier to produce an opportunity in gold shortly after, finding Rezaeian in front of the goal with a cross -search crossing that his colleague wing could not nod with a pole side.
Ronaldo face Esteghlal in the second stage?
Al-Nassr beat Esteghlal 1-0 through the former Manchester City defender, Aymeric Laporte, in Dubai during the group phase on October 22.
Recently managed by former boss of Crvena Zvezda, Miodrag Bozovic, Esteghlal won the AFC Champions League in 1970 and 1991.
The oldest professional team of Tehran won the Gulf Pro League Persian Pro League nine times, but is currently ninth over 16 clubs in the division after having won only six of their first 21 championship games of the season.
Ronaldo scored six goals in the AFC Champions League this season while the 40-year-old has been looking to add to his lonely trophy since he joined Al-Nassr in early 2023, winning the Arab club champions cup that year.
Four of these goals occurred in its last three appearances in the competition, marking twice each of the Qatari opponents al-Gharafa on November 25 and at home of the Emirati Al-Wasl team on February 3.
