In a disappointing turn of events, Al-Nassr fell to a 2-1 defeat against Al-Sadd in their AFC Champions League showdown on December 2 at Al-Awwal Park, with coach Stefano Pioli choosing not to discuss the notable absence of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Despite having already booked their ticket to the knockout stages, Pioli opted to rest his star player, leaving Ronaldo out of the squad entirely. This decision proved costly as the Knights of Njad suffered a setback.
The scoring was opened by Akram Afif for Al-Sadd in the 53rd minute, but Al-Nassr found a brief glimmer of hope when Romain Saiss inadvertently equalized with an own goal. However, the late drama unfolded as Adam Ounas converted a penalty deep into stoppage time, sealing the victory for the visitors.
In his post-match comments, Pioli declined to elaborate on Ronaldo’s absence, stating (as reported by Al Nassr Zone): “I will not talk much about the absence of any player. We worked hard in the match, missed a number of opportunities and lost.”
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Al Nassr Falters Without Ronaldo: Suffer First Asian Champions League Defeat to Al Sadd
The Knights of Njad dominated possession with a whopping 73% and managed 17 attempts at goal, albeit only four were on target, a stark contrast to Al-Sadd’s 10 attempts, of which three were on target.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo has been in sensational form this season in the AFC Champions League, netting four goals in four appearances. When looking at his overall tally for Al-Nassr this season, he has amassed 15 goals and provided three assists across 18 matches.
In a lighter twist, while Ronaldo was resting during the clash against Al-Sadd, he was instrumental in Al-Nassr’s previous victory against Damac, scoring both goals in a 2-0 win on November 29. His performance included a penalty conversion in the 17th minute, followed by a second goal in the 79th minute.
Following that match, Ronaldo took to Instagram to share his joy, captioning his post with: “3 points, 2 goals and we keep going!” His former Manchester United teammate Rio Ferdinand responded playfully, commenting, “Slow down bro!”
As he continues to chase down a remarkable milestone, Ronaldo has now tallied 915 career goals for club and country, further cementing his status as the highest goalscorer in men’s football history. His next challenge awaits as Al-Nassr prepare to face league leaders Al-Ittihad away on December 6.
