“Don’t Just Expect Results From Me” – Luis Castro Makes Surprise Admission Following Cristiano Ronaldo’s Unmet Promise in AFC Champions League Loss

Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. at Al Nassr is in dire straits. Ronaldo missed a clear shot on goal from three yards in the AFC Champions League against Al Ain. Thereafter, Al Nassr was reduced to 10 men, as the match official sent off Ayman Yahya with a red card. These series of mishaps and an even more forgettable penalty shootout saw the Riyadh club getting knocked out of the AFC Champions League in the QF against UAE’s Al Ain at home. Adding insult to injury, Al Nassr’s head coach Luis Castro hinted he was not too focused on just winning titles with the club.

Earlier, Castro had infamously failed to keep his temper when interviewers quizzed him about Al Nassr’s title prospects. He outrageously told the press that Al Nassr has historically failed to win many titles. Besides, he claimed, those coaches who preceded him in Riyadh made ‘excuses‘ instead of chasing victories.

Luis Castro clarifies he’s at Al Nassr to ‘work hard’, amid AFC Champions League exit

Luis Castro, who blamed his predecessors for making excuses, found himself out of a detailed answer after an embarrassing AFC CL elimination. “I am here at Al Nassr to work hard. Don’t just expect results from me,” the Portuguese coach said in a presser. Al Nassr fans had sky-high expectations of Castro because he helped the club win its 1st major trophy in three years. The veteran boss led the Knights of Najd to an Arab Club Champions Cup triumph in August 2023. Now, Castro and his club are struggling to win at least one piece of silverware in the ongoing season.

First, Al Nassr lost the Riyadh Season Cup to Al Hilal. Besides, since Ronaldo and Co. have not won the last two of their Saudi league matches, the gap between them and the top-seeded Al Hilal has further widened. Al Nassr will soon play Al Hilal in the Saudi Super Cup SF. Considering how Al Nassr has consistently lost to Al Hilal this season, winning the Super Cup semi seems a Herculean task. Meanwhile, Al Nassr’s MVP Ronaldo has his fair share of woes to overcome after the knockout against Al Ain.

An unmet promise and a jaw-dropping miss: woes engulf Cristiano Ronaldo

Al Ain’s Khalid Hashemi claimed Cristiano Ronaldo promised him that Al Nassr would win the 2nd leg against Al Ain in front of a home crowd. Besides, the Portuguese superstar guaranteed, “We will not spare any drop of sweat for the fans of Al Nassr. Tomorrow, remontada!” (Remontada means comeback in Spanish). The 5x-Ballon d’Or winner truly tried to keep these promises.

It was CR7’s clutch penalty goal that forced the AFC knockout tie to penalty shootouts. But Luis Castro’s side cut a beaten and bruised figure in the shootout. CR7 was the only scorer for Al Nassr, while three of his teammates misfired from the spot. Sadly, the game could gone in Al Nassr’s favor before the decisive shootout.

READ MORE: Coach Luis Castro Belittles Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr’s History, Says ‘Don’t Think They Won Championships Every Year’

The 39-year-old had an open goal looking at him with just three yards between him and the net. Yet, the veteran shockingly misfired and stood in absolute disbelief. Now, fans can only hope Luis Castro’s ‘hard work‘ will keep the Riyadh club from falling any deeper into a bottomless pit.

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