Al Nassr were on top of their game, securing all three points against Al Duhali in the Asian Champions League without the presence of their highest goal scorer, Cristiano Ronaldo.
It was revealed by the five-time Ballon d’Or winner that he is recovering from fatigue. The 38-year-old played 120 minutes against Al-Ettifaq in the King Cup of Champions on October 31, 2023.
The striker then scored an opening strike in a 2-0 win against Al Khaleej on November 4, 2023. It was Cristiano Ronaldo’s 400th goal since turning 30.
Before the match, Al Nassr manager Castro said, “I know that there are those who want to see him, but he needs to rest.”
“He is not ready, but we have many stars. I didn’t decide to exclude the legend Cristiano Ronaldo, but his capabilities decided that.”
“Because 48 hours ago, he played a match, and before that, he played 120 matches.”
How Al Nassr defeated Al Duhali without the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo
Al Duhali went ahead in the 8th minute of the game with a goal from former Aston Villa midfielder Philippe Coutinho.
However, there were controversies leading to the goal with Al Nassr players, who got furious about the decision.
In the 27th minute of the match, Al Nassr got back into the game with a beautiful shot from Talisca. He was expected to deliver in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Another chance came, begging for Al Nassr to score, but they found it difficult to do so as their attempt went off.
10 minutes after Talisca scored the first goal, the Brazilian scored the second of the match to put Al Nassr ahead in the Asian Champions League.
Talisca and Sadio Mane were the major attackers who made the Al Duhali defenders sit back.
Before the end of the first half, Al Duhali got another chance to equalize, but they were not able to hit the ball on target.
Al Nassr Talisca scored the third goal of the game on a counterattack to secure all three points for the Saudi Arabian team.
Al Duhali scored another goal from the penalty spot to reduce the deficit against Saudi Arabian giant Al Nassr.
One more win for the Saudi Arabia team will book a place in the round of 16 of the Asian Champions League. They currently sit at the top of Group E with 12 points from four matches.
What Next For The Middle East Club And Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates will play against Al-Wehda on November 11, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. A win against Al-Wehda will put Al Nassr on top of the Saudi Arabia Pro League.
The Saudi Arabia side are more focused on winning all available trophies this season, and they have all the football brilliance to compete till the end of the season.
