Cristiano Ronaldo was left out of Al-Nassr’s squad as the Saudi Arabian club secured an emphatic 6-2 victory over Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor in their AFC Champions League Elite encounter on Monday.
The 41-year-old Portuguese forward was among three key players rested by head coach Ange Postecoglou for the trip to Tashkent. Kingsley Coman and Mohamed Simakan were also excluded from the travelling squad.
According to reports, Postecoglou explained that the decision was influenced by the demanding match schedule and extensive travelling commitments facing the team.
Ronaldo’s absence also came amid heightened security concerns in the region following reported missile attacks on Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Al-Nassr’s previous home fixture in the competition on October 12 was reportedly delayed by an hour following the attacks. Their subsequent meeting with UAE club Al-Wasl was also postponed after the visitors declined to travel to Riyadh over security concerns.
Despite missing their captain, Al-Nassr delivered an impressive attacking performance, with João Félix scoring twice in the 6-2 win at the Pakhtakor Central Stadium.
Abdullah Al-Hamdan opened the scoring in the 15th minute, while Félix doubled the advantage just two minutes later. The former Chelsea forward added his second goal in the 32nd minute to put the visitors three goals ahead.
Pakhtakor reduced the deficit through Flamarion in the 36th minute, but Al-Nassr strengthened their lead after the break with goals from Abdulelah Al-Amri and Abdulrahman Ghareeb.
Dostonbek Khamdamov scored the hosts’ second goal before Ângelo completed the scoring for Al-Nassr in the 79th minute.
The Saudi Press Agency reported that the result marked Al-Nassr’s second victory in the competition, moving them to fourth position in the West Region standings with six points. Pakhtakor remained on two points.
Ronaldo had scored a hat-trick in Al-Nassr’s 5-3 league victory over Al-Kholood last Thursday, taking his career goal tally to 985 and his season record to nine goals in 12 appearances.
Source: Punch
