Postecoglou offers Ronaldo support after Al Nassr striker’s frustrating night

Ange Postecoglou backed Cristiano Ronaldo after the Al Nassr captain missed a series of chances, including a penalty, during his side’s 1-0 win over Neom in the Roshn Saudi League.

Ronaldo was unable to find the net despite being presented with several clear opportunities, but Al Nassr secured all three points in round 10 after Joao Felix scored the only goal of the game.

The Australian manager approached Ronaldo as the players greeted supporters at the end of the match and spent a considerable amount of time speaking to him. The interaction was widely shared on X, with Postecoglou appearing to offer encouragement to the Portugal forward during a difficult evening.

Ronaldo seemed visibly disappointed by his failure to score and by the missed penalty. His difficult night came amid wider debate surrounding the striker, including the situation involving the Portugal national team and manager Jorge Jesus.

One post on X described the footage as “a wonderful moment” and said Postecoglou had been motivating “the legend Cristiano” after the match. It added that Ronaldo appeared upset at not scoring and missing the penalty, while praising the coach for not abandoning his captain.

Postecoglou also defended Ronaldo and the team’s performance when asked about the missed chances in his post-match news conference.

“That is the nature of football,” he said. “It is a good thing that we created that many chances, and we will work to correct the mistakes.”

He highlighted the collective effort behind the result and the difficulty of the opposition.

“The whole team produced a big performance and we secured victory against a difficult opponent who has all the ingredients for success,” Postecoglou added. “But we are clearly suffering from absences and we will try to get all the players ready.”

The manager said the squad needed to remain united as it dealt with both the win and the individual disappointment of the match.

“We work as a family,” he said. “A victory will be good for everyone, while a defeat will affect the whole team, so we must support one another and continue moving forward steadily.”

Despite Ronaldo’s missed opportunities, Al Nassr’s late result ensured the focus remained on the team’s victory rather than the Portugal captain’s failure to score.