Cristiano Ronaldo has been left off Al-Nassr’s roster for their AFC Champions League Elite trip to Uzbekistan to face Pakhtakor on Monday. The decision comes just a week after the club’s prior continental fixture was postponed, amid ongoing security concerns impacting top Asian soccer competitions.
Ronaldo, who bagged a hat-trick in Saudi Pro League action last week to reach 985 career goals, was excluded from the squad alongside teammates Kingsley Coman and Mohamed Simakan.
Head coach Ange Postecoglou explained the decision during his pre-match press conference in Tashkent, stating he rested the trio “given the pressure of matches and the amount of travel involved.”
“Despite the difficult start, the preparation conditions, and the lack of complete readiness at the beginning of the season, we have now reached an excellent stage,” Postecoglou added.
Ronaldo also rested last week when UAE side Al-Wasl chose not to travel to Riyadh, leading the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to postpone that encounter. That followed an earlier delay on Oct 12 when Al-Nassr’s home fixture was pushed back an hour amid reports of missile strikes by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
Security concerns at Asian Champions League
Elsewhere in the competition, two-time champions Al-Ahli occupy third place in the group heading into their clash against Al-Sadd in Qatar, with striker Ivan Toney expected to feature.
Uncertainty remains over the Asian Cup, scheduled to kick off in Saudi Arabia on Jan. 7. Japan Football Association president Tsuneyasu Miyamoto voiced doubts over the schedule.
“Based on what I’ve learned from the news, the situation is still unsafe, so at this point, I don’t think it would be easy to hold the (Asian) Cup there,” Miyamoto stated.
AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa noted decisions would be made by late November.
“We can wait until the end of November,” Salman said. “Things can change very quickly for better or worse in the region, and it is a question of seeing what happens. If we need to make a decision, then we will, but we could move back a year to 2028 if we need to.”
Saudi organisers maintain that preparations remain on schedule, with match venues and kickoff times finalised.
(With inputs from agencies)
