Nigeria international Henry Onyekuru has laid down the gauntlet ahead of facing Cristiano Ronaldo and Al Nassr in the AFC Champions League.
The Al-Fahya forward will come up against the five-time Ballon d’Or winner on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, in the second leg of their Round of 16 tie.
Al-Fahya lost the first leg 1-0, with Ronaldo’s late strike giving Al Nassr a deserved advantage to take into the reverse fixture at home at the Al-Awwal Stadium.
However, the slender nature of Al Nassr’s lead means the tie remains wide open and Onyekuru believes he and his teammates have what it takes to turn the game around.
Onyekuru desperate to beat Ronaldo and Al Nassr
Addressing the media during a pre-match press conference, Onyekuru said his goal was to help Al-Fahya overturn the first-leg deficit and win the tie.
The Nigerian striker, who has been capped 15 times by the Super Eagles since 2017, has been in decent form this season, having contributed eight goals and three assists so far in all competitions.
The 26-year-old is also heading into Friday’s Champions League game against Al Nassr on the back of a brace against Al-Hazm in the Saudi Pro League, although he hasn’t been too prolific in the continental competition, where he has only scored one goal in five matches.
However, Onyekuru believes nothing is impossible, adding that he and his teammates are desperate to prove themselves against Ronaldo and Al Nassr.
“There is nothing impossible in football, and our goal is definitely to win. We will face Al-Nassr, and our first goal is to win and play strong, and we must abandon caution in order to advance to the quarter-finals,” he said, as quoted by Soccernet.ng.
“It is true that Al-Nassr is a big team and has good elements, but we want to prove ourselves by winning. It does not matter who scores against Al-Nassr, the most important thing for me is to achieve victory and make the fans happy.”
Cristiano Ronaldo ready for Al-Fahya test
Meanwhile, Ronaldo has also indicated his readiness to lead Al Nassr to the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League.
The Portugal captain boasts impressive numbers in the continental competition, where he has astonishingly netted four times in five matches.
Overall, though, the 39-year-old has scored 26 goals in 27 matches this season and will be looking to add to his tally when his side faces Al-Fahya on Wednesday.
In a post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Ronaldo shared a photo of himself in training, accompanied by the caption: “Getting ready for the Champions League match!”
Ronaldo trolled over ‘Champions League’ caption on X
While the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star was harmlessly updating his followers on social media, the use of the word “Champions League” led to him being subjected to trolls.
Some netizens who commented on the said post called on Ronaldo to clarify which Champions League he was currently featuring in by adding “AFC” since he was no longer plying his trade in Europe.
An X user with the name Shadrack Amoo-Crabbe wrote: “Which Champions League? The Makaranta Champions League?”
Another user by the name Bright Tod stated “Bro thinks he is playing the Uefa Champions League,” while a third X user wrote: “Champions League how? Ohhh! AFC.”
Meanwhile, one other comment from the user called Freddy decided to praise Ronaldo for his longevity, saying: “Playing Champions League at 39. Unreal longevity.”
Ronaldo won the UEFA Champions League five times while playing in Europe – once at Manchester United, and four times with Real Madrid – and is now aiming to add another winners’ medal in the AFC Champions League at the age of 39.
