Duran struggles with no Ronaldo as worrying stat shows how much he's depended on

The former Aston Villa striker made a scintillating start to life in the Saudi Pro League but his dream has since turned into a nightmare.

The 21-year-old scored four goals in his first three appearances since joining the club from Premier League giants Villa for £64million.

However, he was handed a straight red card in just his fourth match for Al Nassr which has coincided with the goals drying up.

Duran's barren run stretched to four games as his new side were held to a goalless draw with Esteghlal of Iran in the first leg of the AFC Champions League Elite second round tie on Monday.

The Colombian had a huge opportunity to impress while leading the line, with strike partner Ronaldo not involved in the squad at all.

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Duran instead endured a night to forget as he missed several clear opportunities to be the hero at the Azadi Sports Complex.

It also continues Al Nassr's horrible vein of form in Ronaldo's absence, with just one win from the six games the 40-year-old has missed this season.

Their sole victory was a 2-1 win over second-division side Al Hazem, with four draws, two of them without scoring including tonight.

Without Ronaldo, Stefano Pioli's side have failed to beat Baghdad outfit Al Shorta, Iranian club Persepolis and domestic Saudi rivals Al Kholood - having also suffered a defeat to Qatari Al Sadd.

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Duran had the biggest chances against Esteghlal, fluffing a one-on-one against goalkeeper Hossein Hosseini, having another shot cleared off the line and hitting the post in the second half - with ex-Liverpool and Bayern Munich star Sadio Mane also failing to make his mark.

Duran's downturn in performance since his fast start to life in Saudi has drawn criticism from fans, with former Al Nassr star Anderson Talisca coming out to defend the forward recently on social media.

He wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: "He is a great player and will do a lot for this club.

"The problem is that you always want to find someone to blame for the defeats, but you don't see where the real mistake lies.

"Stop acting like this all the time. You know where the mistake is, you're just afraid to say it, lol."

The AFC Champions League Elite is likely Nassr's last chance to win a trophy this season, with Ronaldo a five-time winner of UEFA's version.

In the Saudi Pro League, the Riyadh-based club sit in fourth and trail leaders Al Ittihad by ten points.

"I am satisfied with the performance of the players," Al-Nassr coach Pioli said. "It is important to remember that there is another game."

Ronaldo is expected to feature in the return match in Riyadh on March 11, with the winner advancing to the quarter-finals.

First up, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner will be needed on Friday when Al Nassr return to action against Al Shabab in the SPL.

Ronaldo has 17 goals in 22 games this season, already matching his total from the 2022/23 season.

He's now 75 goals away from 1000 for club and country throughout his career.

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