Cristiano Ronaldo’s tactical decision appears to immediately backfire as fans say ‘even his opponent was confused’

CRISTIANO RONALDO was left red-faced after ordering his Al-Nassr team-mate out of the defensive wall in the build-up to Nabil Fekir’s goal. Al-Nassr secured a 2-1 win over Abha on Wednesday to continue their positive start to the season under new boss Ange Postecoglou. Cristiano Ronaldo’s tactical decision came back to bite Al-Nassr this weekCredit: Refer to source He ordered a team-mate to leave the defensive wall during a free kickCredit: Refer to source It allowed Nabil Fekir to score from a free kick in Al-Nassr’s 2-1 win over AbhaCredit: Refer to source Ronaldo, 41, had put the team in front in the 22nd minute and Abdullah Al-Hamdan doubled their lead in the second half. But Fekir netted a late free kick to ensure a nervy finish and Ronaldo was partially responsible. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! Al-Nassr had sent two players to stand in the wall to defend the free kick in the 75th minute. Ronaldo gestured for one of his team-mates to leave the wall, thinking Fekir was going to play it short. But the move backfired as Fekir curled his effort into the net and keeper Bento couldn’t get a hand to it. Fans were baffled by the strange scenes as they reacted to the clip on Reddit. One said: “Even Fekir was confused for a moment.” Another added: “What a nice assist by Ronaldo.” Most read in Sport BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK And one joked it should count as “-1 towards Ronaldo’s 1000 goals”. Luckily for Al-Nassr, they held on to win the game – which was their fifth win in six. The team desperately needed a victory after an agonising 2-1 defeat to title rivals Al-Ittihad. Postecoglou’s side found themselves 2-0 down thanks to George Ilenikhena’s brace. Angelo Gabriel pulled one back just before half time but Al-Nassr couldn’t find an equaliser. Manchester United legend Ronaldo gave a rousing speech to his side ahead of their next game against Abha and urged them to forget about the Al-Ittihad defeat. He said: “Guys let me tell you something, last game, it’s gone. “It’s in the past, today, the first 20 minutes we have to smash, make them think today is impossible to win against these guys. “The first 20 minutes are crucial guys, let’s start very strong today, let’s go.” Ronaldo has already had a strong start to the season, scoring three in his first five matches. Last season he netted 30 goals in all competitions as he helped the team win their first Saudi Pro League title since 2019. Comment now