Cristiano Ronaldo was absent as Al-Nassr defeated Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor 6-2 in their AFC Champions League Elite fixture on Monday, with the Portuguese forward left out of the squad amid wider security concerns surrounding the competition in Saudi Arabia.
The 41-year-old was among three key players rested by Al-Nassr coach Ange Postecoglou for the trip to Tashkent, with Kingsley Coman and Mohamed Simakan also missing from the squad.
According to The Independent on Monday, Postecoglou said the decision was taken “given the pressure of matches and the amount of travel involved”.
However, the team’s trip came against the backdrop of security concerns in the region, following reported missile attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Saudi Arabia.
Al-Nassr’s previous home fixture in the competition, against an opponent on October 12, was delayed by an hour following reports of the attacks, according to the Associated Press.
