On Tuesday, December 5, Al Nassr played FC Istiklol in the AFC Champions League match without Cristiano Ronaldo.
In their last group stage match, Al Nassr managed to draw with Istiklol 1-1. They started without any of their European football superstars and made numerous changes to their lineup.
Along with Al Nassr’s captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, other players like Sadio Mane, Seko Fofana, Aymeric Laporte, and others were missing from the starting lineup. There are concerns about Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence and why he was not spotted playing for the Saudi powerhouses.
Ronaldo not taking the field was a disappointment for both Al Nassr supporters and the Istiklol supporters who had travelled to the stadium to see the Portugal superstar. This was the case even though Al Nassr had already advanced to the knockout stages before the match.
A couple of days of much-needed rest were granted to Cristiano Ronaldo. Despite suffering a neck injury during their AFC Champions League match against Persepolis, the Al Nassr player still featured in their Saudi League derby against Al Hilal.
During the Al Hilal match, the superstar was forced to wear a neckband, revealing that his impact injury had not fully healed. It was also a smart move for the Al Nassr coach to rest Ronaldo because his team had already advanced to the knockout stages. Ronaldo will undoubtedly be crucial to the Knights of Najd’s success in the extremely competitive Saudi Pro League race. In just 14 league games, the 38-year-old has already scored 15 goals and provided 7 assists. Al Hilal leads them by seven points at the top of the league, so Al Nassr can no longer afford to make mistakes.
