Is Al Nassr coping without Cristiano Ronaldo? A stat that raises questions for CR7
Cristiano Ronaldo’s protest sent shockwaves through the Saudi Pro League, but while the headlines dominated the conversation, Al Nassr continued competing on the pitch.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s protest sent shockwaves through the Saudi Pro League, but while the headlines dominated the conversation, Al Nassr continued competing on the pitch.
In Ronaldo’s absence, the Saudi side have quietly delivered results, a detail that could spark debate about the team’s short-term performance without the Portuguese star.
Al Nassr maintain perfect run without Ronaldo
For the third consecutive match, the team coached by Jorge Jesus played without Cristiano Ronaldo and once again secured a positive outcome.
Al Nassr claimed a 1-0 first-leg win over Arkadag in the Round of 16 of the AFC Champions League 2, in a match that also saw absences including João Félix, Marcelo Brozovic, Íñigo Martínez, Kingsley Coman, and Sadio Mané.
Before that, Al Nassr defeated Ittihad FC 2-0 with goals from Gabriel and Mané, and also overcame Al Riyadh, courtesy of another Mané strike.
When could Cristiano Ronaldo return?
Portuguese outlet A Bola had already reported that Ronaldo would not be available for the clash against Arkadag.
The Portugal national team captain is expected to return on Matchday 21 of the Saudi Pro League when Al Nassr face Al Fateh. The Riyadh side remain just one point behind league leaders Al Hilal, led by Karim Benzema.
