Postecoglou Leaves Ronaldo Home as Al Nassr Win 6-2 Amid Security Fears

• Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, did not travel with Al Nassr to Tashkent for Monday’s AFC Champions League Elite game at Pakhtakor, per Daily Mail.
• Coach Ange Postecoglou gave “the pressure of matches and the amount of travel involved” as the reason, and Kingsley Coman and Mohamed Simakan were also left out.
• Joao Felix scored twice as Al Nassr won 6-2.

The Reason Postecoglou Gave and the Backdrop Around It

Cristiano Ronaldo did not make Al Nassr’s trip to Uzbekistan. The 41-year-old, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, was left out of the squad for Monday’s AFC Champions League Elite game at Pakhtakor in Tashkent, along with Kingsley Coman and Mohamed Simakan. Al Nassr won anyway. Fellow Portugal international Joao Felix scored twice in a 6-2 victory that Ronaldo missed.

What Postecoglou Said

Postecoglou, the Australian who managed Tottenham before taking charge at Al Nassr, spoke to a news conference about the three absences. He left out the players “given the pressure of matches and the amount of travel involved”.

That is the stated reason, and it is a workload one. Ronaldo scored a hat-trick against Al Kholood in the Saudi Pro League on Thursday, which took him to nine goals in 12 appearances this season. Monday’s game came four days after that.

The Security Backdrop

Security concerns in and around Saudi Arabia form the context. Last week, Al Wasl of the United Arab Emirates declined to travel to Riyadh for a Champions League game against Al Nassr, and the tie was postponed. The UAE club refused to go over the situation in Saudi Arabia.

An earlier home game in the competition, against Neftchi Fergana in October, was delayed by an hour after reports of missile attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Ronaldo scored in that game, a 3-1 Al Nassr win over the reigning Uzbek champions.

Airports in Saudi Arabia have come under a series of attacks by the Houthis, who are trying to disrupt the country’s oil exports. One recent attack killed 13 people.

Ronaldo and the 1,000 Goal Chase

The Thursday treble moved Ronaldo’s career total to 985 goals, which leaves him 15 short of a milestone he has chased for years. He passed Josef Bican as the all-time top scorer in 2021, yet that count is contested as some historical records lack data.

In 2024, he told his former teammate Rio Ferdinand how much the target means to him. “I want to reach 1,000 goals. If I don’t have any injuries, this for me is the most important (thing), I want that,” Ronaldo said.

Monday’s game did not move that total, and his next chance comes on Friday, when Al Nassr go away to Al Hazem in the league.

What It Means for Al Nassr

Al Nassr have never won the continental title. Before Monday’s game they sat ninth in the western zone, the lowest-ranked of the five Saudi teams in the 32-team tournament, and they needed a top eight finish to reach the knockouts.

Felix scored twice in Tashkent, and Ronaldo’s career goal count stays at 985 until he plays again. Postecoglou now decides whether Ronaldo returns for the Al Hazem trip.

WRITTEN BY

George Howson

George Howson is a Futbol Chronicle contributor and accredited journalist with over 20 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, George has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing deep knowledge and first-hand insight to every match report and analysis he writes.

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