Getty Images SportPortuguese manager Jorge Jesus, head coach of Al-Nasr, made some striking comments following his side’s resounding 5-2 victory over Al-Najma in Friday evening’s match, which took place as part of Matchday 27 of the Roshen Professional League. He spoke about his players’ performance and revealed the story behind the emphatic win.
Al-Nassr moved their tally to 70 points at the top of the Roshen League table, temporarily extending their lead over Al-Hilal to six points.
Getty Images SportSpeaking at the press conference, Jesus revealed the reason behind the substitution of his compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo, saying: "Cristiano didn’t feature in the last two matches, so we preferred to rest him, especially after we were two goals ahead, which gave us the chance to manage his fitness better."
Read also... Video: The tally continues... Ronaldo keeps chasing his dream and threatens Tony’s throne
He added: “If the score had been level, he would undoubtedly have played until the end of the match, but the circumstances allowed him to come off at that point.”
The Portuguese manager praised Ronaldo’s mentality, saying: “He is extremely professional and not a selfish player. He could have stayed on the pitch in search of a hat-trick, but he prioritised the team’s interests and agreed to come off to get some rest.”
Getty Images SportDespite the resounding victory, Jesus did not hide his reservations about certain negative aspects of his team’s performance, stressing that there are areas that need to be addressed in the coming period.
Jesus said in his comments: “The most important thing for us was to secure the win, and we managed to do so with a 5-2 scoreline, but the opposition caused us some trouble at times during the match, put in a good defensive performance, and have an outstanding striker.”
He added: “The most notable negative was conceding two goals, which is something we don’t want, and we need to work on correcting that quickly, but overall we are heading in the right direction and continuing to progress step by step.”
The Portuguese manager touched on the defensive performance, explaining: “We weren’t at our best defensively today, particularly at the back, and we missed Martinez, which affected our balance.”
He continued by referring to the condition of some players, saying: “Simakan wasn’t at his best, and he clearly looked tired, especially in the second half, so we decided to substitute him to protect him.”
