Al-Nassr Stefano Pioli’s director says he believes his team was playing well despite dealing with criticism after a 0-0 draw against Esteghlal in Tehran in the first leg of the 16-year-old Champions League AFC.
Former Milan leader Pioli has failed to win 11 of his 30 games since he succeeded Portuguese coach Luis Castro in the Saudi Pro League Club on September 18, including two defeats and one victory in the last five matches in all matches.
“I am happy with the team’s performance,” Pioli said, via Apenssa. “We must not forget that there is (the second leg) in Riyadh.”
Al-NASSR’s first defeat to Al-Orobah last Friday, which came against Saudi protagonists, who ended second in the second tier last season, means that they are 10 points behind Al-ITtihad leaders in fourth with 11 games.
Some followers expressed their dissatisfaction with Pioli in X following the impasse with Esteghla in 78,116 Azadi Stadium, where Jhon duran -£ 65 million January signed by Aston Villa-has taken closer to visitors against the ninth team in Iran, hitting a position and repeatedly landed by goalkeeper Hossein Hosseini.
Who can pass through Seyed Hosseini? 🧤#Aclelite | #Estwnsr pic.twitter.com/tyabxjr9zl
– #aclelite | #Acltwo (@theafccl) March 3 2025
Pioli: “You want Al-Nassr to succeed?”
Al Nassr Zone account, which has more than 61,000 fans, Called Pioli’s exit And he suggested that he had worked to do supporters “suffer”, accusing the 59 -year -old and his staff to do a “terrible job” and to give Cristiano Ronaldo’s Group “No Identity”.
“You have to take action because the situation gets worse every day,” the account told CEO Majed Jaman Alsorour. “Do you want Al-Nassr to succeed? If you do, then things have to change as soon as possible. ”
Al-NASSR hosts a sixth placed al-Shabab on Friday (7pm GMT) on their domestic top flight. The second leg against Esteghlal will take place on March 10 (6pm GMT).
One night to forget Al Nassr in the attack, but one we have to remember for Esteghla’s defense! #Aclelite | #Estwnsr pic.twitter.com/rf7Rnfbsar
– #aclelite | #Acltwo (@theafccl) March 3 2025
Why didn’t Ronaldo play for Al Nassr in Iran?
Pioli said there were “natural reasons” for the captain and the top scorer of Saudi Arabia Ronaldo who was missing the trip of about 2,200 miles, Al jazirah reported.
The exit said Pioli did not want to risk a more serious injury to the five-year Ballon d’Or or winner, who shared a support message for his team on his Instagram account-the most followed on the platform-hours before he started, saying “let’s go”.
Before the game, the DPA news agency through Post lineHe said Al-Nassr had written to the organizers asking the game to play “on neutral ground” because of Ronaldo’s “bad experience in Tehran”.
Police reportedly had to disperse the crowds that rushed to the Al-NASSR hotel when they visited the Tehran Persepolis Club in September 2023.
Ronaldo did not participate when Al-Nassr drew 0-0 at Azadi Stadium against Persepolis, who also uses the ground on February 17, though his side had already been hired for the last 16 from that point.
Talisca: Al Nashr’s “Real Wrong”
Writing on X on Friday, former Al-Nassr Forward Talisca claimed he “knows where the real mistake is in the club.
“(Duran) is a great player and he will do a lot for this club,” said Talisca, who left for Fenerbahce on January 29, responding to a list of former statistical striker Aston Villa against Al-Orobah published by Byannassr.
“The problem is that you always want to find someone to blame for defeats, but you don’t see where the real mistake is.
“Stop acting like that all the time. You know where the mistake is, you are just afraid to say it. In addition, you want to do to Duran what they did to me to benefit 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 for defeats, but you don’t see where the real mistake is. Stop acting so all the time
You know where the mistake is, you are just afraid to say it, lol
– Andersontalisca (@talisca_Aa) 28 February 2025
And above that, you want to do to Doran what they did for me to take advantage of others. ”
– Andersontalisca (@talisca_Aa) 28 February 2025
Esteghlal vs al-nassr
Pioli made four changes against Esteghlal, bringing Sadio Mane to Ronaldo, the full Nawaf Boushal for Majed Qashish and Wingers Awad Ali Al-Hassan and Ayman Yahya for Abdulmajeed al-Sulayhem and Wesley Teixeira.
The hosts assumed the defense of the five people and had 29% of the first half of the first half, but Iran’s national team’s newcomer Mohammad Reza Azadi examined goalkeeper Al-Nassr Bento in a corner car.
During an end -to -end meeting, Ramin Rezaeian leader Ayman Yahya’s header from the line, after Iran international Hosseini had kept out of Duran’s shot on his feet.
Esteghlal threatened after the break when Armin Sohrabian headed into space, signaling a bright reboot after Kyrgyzstan forward Joel Kojo came for Azadi in half a year.
Sohrabian turned into the provider to produce a golden opportunity a little later, finding Rezaeian in front of a goal with a cross -loose cross from the left that his colleague could only move the wrong side of a position.
Ronaldo to face Esteghlal on the second leg?
Al-Nassr defeated Esteghla 1-0 through his former Manchester City, the Laporte target in Dubai during the team on October 22.
Recently managed by former Bost Miodrag Bozovic Crvena Zvezda, Esteghlal won the AFC Champions League in 1970 and 1991.
The oldest professional team in Tehran has won the Persian Tower Pro League nine times, but today it is ninth of the 16 clubs in the department after winning only six of the first 21 league games of the season.
Ronaldo has six goals in this season’s AFC Champions League, as the 40-year-old has seen his lonely trophy since he participated in Al-Nassr in early 2023, winning the Arab Club Champions Cup that year.
Four of these goals have come to his last three appearances in the competition, scoring twice each other to Qatar’s opponents Al-Gharafa on November 25th and at the home of the Emirates al-Wasl team on February 3.
