Anyone who thinks Al-Nassr is a one-man team because they can’t function without Cristiano Ronaldo may have to reconsider. While Cristiano Ronaldo has been the main man for Al-Nassr this season, he’s thriving off of the brilliance of his teammates, including Sadio Mane, Otavio, and Anderson Talisca, to form the club’s formidable attack.
In the absence of the former Real Madrid superstar yesterday in the AFC Champions League match against Qatar’s Al-Duhail, Anderson Talisca stepped up and lifted his club to victory to make it two victories over two legs over the Qatari side in the competition.
Anderson Talisca lifts Al-Nassr without Cristiano Ronaldo
Any working team can function without its star man, and Al-Nassr proved just that in another thrilling victory over Al-Duhail in last night’s AFC Champions League encounter. Ronaldo missed out on the game due to fatigue, as indicated by the manager Luis Santos, and in his absence, Brazilian striker Talisca stepped up and showed his class.
The Saudi club had gone behind very early in the game when former Liverpool and Barcelona playmaker Phillipe Coutinho scored the opener in the 8th minute of the game. However, his fellow countryman Talisca took control of the game, as he scored three successive goals to get his first hat-trick of the season.
The Brazilian leveled the game in the 27th minute before adding the second 10 minutes later. He completed his hat-trick in the second half in the 65th minute, and although Phillipe Coutinho and his team mounted a late scare by scoring two late goals in the second half, Talisca’s hat-trick proved enough to lift Al-Nassr to another narrow victory, this time in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo.
In the reverse fixture a fortnight ago, Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace in another tight encounter that ended 4-3 in Al-Nassr’s favor. The Saudi club continues its unbeaten streak in all competitions as they now look ahead to an SPL match this weekend.
Anderson Talisca speaks on Cristiano Ronaldo in Al Nassr
A dedicated player like Cristiano Ronaldo always leaves his mark on his teammates, as some of them feed off his hard work to also try to raise their games. Anderson Talisca is one of the most improved players in the squad since Ronaldo signed for Al-Nassr, and the Brazilian only has kind words to say about his teammate, who is also on fire this season.
“Cristiano Ronaldo changed the mentality of many players in the club,” Talisca said when asked about the Portuguese star’s mentality.
“You are talking about the best player in the world. How will he not change it? It definitely added a lot to the players,” the Brazilian added.
Talisca has raised his game this season, scoring 14 goals in all competitions, including 6 in the AFC Champions League, where he’s the top goalscorer, and 8 in the league, where he tails Ronaldo by 4 goals.
Ronaldo scored a thunderous strike in Al-Nassr’s 2-1 victory over Al-Khaleej on Saturday and will hope to add to his tally when they take on Al-Wehda in the Saudi Pro League on November 11.
Can Talisca and Cristiano Ronaldo deliver more trophies for Al-Nassr this season?
