Al-Nassr coach Stefano Pioli refused to speak about Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence in their defeat against Al-Sadd on Monday, December 2. The Knights of Njad lost 2-1 in their AFC Champions League clash at Al-Awwal Park.
Al-Nassr have already qualified for the knockout rounds of the AFC Champions League. For their sixth game of the tournament this season, Pioli decided to rest Cristiano Ronaldo, not even including him in the squad. They consequently lost 2-1.
Akram Afif gave the visitors the lead in the 53rd minute before a Romain Saiss own goal restored parity. Adam Ounas, however, converted a penalty in the ninth minute of stoppage time to secure the win for Al-Sadd.
After the game, Pioli was asked about Ronaldo’s absence and he answered (via Al Nassr Zone):
“I will not talk much about the absence of any player. We worked hard in the match, missed a number of opportunities and lost.”
The Knights of Njad had 73% possession and 17 attempts on goal with four being on target as compared to Al-Sadd’s 3/10 attempts on target.
Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, has been in prolific form in the AFC Champions League this season, scoring four goals in four appearances. Overall, he’s scored 15 goals and provided three assists in 18 games across competitions for Al-Nassr this season.
Rio Ferdinand jokingly responds to Cristiano Ronaldo after Al-Nassr’s win over Damac
While Cristiano Ronaldo was rested in Al-Nassr’s defeat against Al-Sadd on Tuesday, he was the star of the show in their win over Damac. He scored a brace as they won 2-0 at home in the Saudi Pro League on Friday, November 29. He first converted a penalty in the 17th minute before scoring again in the 79th minute.
After the game, Ronaldo shared a post on Instagram with the caption:
“3 points, 2 goals and we keep going!”
His former Manchester United teammate and friend Rio Ferdinand jokingly commented on the post:
“Slow down bro!”
Cristiano Ronaldo and Rio Ferdinand notably shared the pitch 221 times during their time together at Manchester United.
Meanwhile, the Portuguese superstar has now scored 915 career goals for club and country. He’s also the leading goalscorer in men’s football history and is closing on the incredible 1000-goal landmark. He’s expected to next be in action when Al-Nassr take on leaders Al-Ittihad away in the Saudi Pro League on Friday, December 6.
