Al Nassr Lose 5-0 To Celta Vigo As Portugal Star Cristiano Ronaldo Suffers Heavy Defeat In His Home Country
Cristiano Ronaldo made his first appearance for Al Nassr since the end of last season as his team were thrashed by Spain's Celta Vigo on Monday night.
Al Nassr had beaten Portuguese sides Alverca and Farense - 2-0 and 5-1 - without Ronaldo in their first two pre-season friendlies of 2023.
But Ronaldo's return to the team coincided with a 5-0 hammering at the hands of the outfit that finished 11th in the most recent edition of La Liga.
Monday's game took place in Ronaldo's native Portugal at the Estadio Algarve near Faro.
Al Nassr captain Ronaldo was on the pitch for the entire first half before being subbed off when the game was tied at 0-0.
New signing Marcelo Brozovic also started the game, playing 54 minutes.
Al Nassr lost Abdulelah Al-Amri to a red card early in the second half after a foul by the Saudi center-back was deemed to have denied Jorgen Strand Larsen a clear scoring chance.
With 10 men, the Saudi Pro League side crumbled.
Gael Alonso opened the scoring on 57 minutes.
Larsen then bagged a hat-trick, with Miguel Rodriguez getting Celta's other goal.
Al Nassr will return to the Estadio Algarve on Thursday to face Benfica before leaving Portugal.
Ronaldo and Co will then head to Japan to play Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan in their final two pre-season games next week.
Al Nassr's first official match of the 2023/24 season is scheduled for July 28 when they will take on fellow Saudi side Al-Shabab in the group stage of the Arab Club Champions Cup.
The new Saudi Pro League season will begin for Al Nassr on August 14 with an away game against Steven Gerrard's Ettifaq.