Ronaldo rested as Al-Nassr thrash Pakhtakor 6-2

João Félix (2nd right) celebrates with teammates after scoring the team's third goal in the second half. Photo: X/@AlNassrFC_EN

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.

The club’s subsequent match against UAE side Al-Wasl was also postponed after the visitors declined to travel to Riyadh because of the security situation.

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Despite Ronaldo’s absence, Al-Nassr produced an emphatic performance against Pakhtakor, with João Félix scoring twice in the 6-2 victory at the Pakhtakor Central Stadium.

Abdullah Al-Hamdan opened the scoring in the 15th minute before Félix added a second two minutes later. The former Chelsea forward scored again in the 32nd minute to give Al-Nassr a 3-0 lead.

Pakhtakor pulled one back through Flamarion in the 36th minute, but Al-Nassr extended their advantage after the break through Abdulelah Al-Amri and Abdulrahman Ghareeb.

Dostonbek Khamdamov scored Pakhtakor’s second goal before Ângelo completed the scoring for the visitors in the 79th minute.

The Saudi Press Agency reported that the victory was Al-Nassr’s second win in the competition. The result moved the club to fourth place in the West Region standings with six points, while Pakhtakor remained on two points.

Ronaldo had scored a hat-trick in Al-Nassr’s 5-3 league victory over Al-Kholood last Thursday, taking his career tally to 985 goals and his season’s total to nine goals in 12 appearances.

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