Cristiano Ronaldo’s quest to return Al Nassr to the top of the Saudi Pro League tree has started brightly and manager Luis Castro must have been thrilled that his side proved themselves in their veteran talisman’s absence.
The Saudi Pro League side were in midweek action as they visited Al Duhail in the AFC Champions League, but for the first time since the opening couple of games of the campaign Ronaldo wasn’t included in the matchday squad.
Here’s why he was absent.
Don’t fear, Ronaldo fans, your GOAT hasn’t picked up an injury. Ronaldo was merely rested for Al Nassr’s AFC Champions League clash against Al Duhail.
“I did not 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 minutes,” manager Castro explained pre-match.
Ronaldo proved to be the match-winner in the reverse fixture, scoring twice in a 4-3 win, but his side won 3-2 in his absence on Tuesday. While Aymeric Laporte also earned a breather, Marcelo Brozovic and Sadio Mane both started for Al Nassr as Anderson Talisca scored a hat-trick which topped Philippe Coutinho’s brace for the hosts.
With a long season ahead and Al Nassr hoping to compete on multiple fronts, managing Ronaldo’s minutes will be key to their success. The ultra-fit 38-year-old had started 16 of Al Nassr’s 18 games before Tuesday’s Champions League encounter and has already racked up 1,466 minutes of action in 2023/24.
Castro could afford to rest Ronaldo on Tuesday given Al Nassr’s strong standing in their AFC Champions League group. The Saudi club have a 100% record in Group E and they qualified for the knockout stages following their victory over Al Duhail.
Ronaldo’s scored three goals in as many games in the competition, also notching an assist in the home win over Al Duhail on Matchday 3.
The 38-year-old is yet to score in any of the domestic cups, but he has enjoyed a productive start to the Saudi Pro League season. The Al Nassr captain has 19 goal contributions (12 goals and seven assists) in just 11 games with his side currently sitting second in the table behind Al Hilal.
Al Nassr, though, have faced off just once against one of the Saudi ‘Big Four’ who were taken over by the country’s Public Investment Fund in the summer. Ronaldo scored twice in a 4-3 win over Al Ahli.
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