Cristiano Ronaldo watched from the stands as his team, Al Nassr, suffered a 2-1 defeat to Al Sadd in the Asian Champions League Elite on Monday. The loss came in injury time, with Al Sadd securing the win through a penalty after Akram Afif had scored the opening goal earlier in the second half.
Ronaldo, 39, was reportedly rested for the match, having already helped Al Nassr secure qualification to the knockout stages with three rounds of the group phase remaining. The Portuguese star had been in fine form, scoring four goals in his last two matches for the club, including a brace in the Saudi Pro League on Friday. Despite his absence from the matchday squad, Ronaldo was spotted in the stands at Al Awwal Park in Riyadh, sitting alongside his mother Dolores Aveiro and partner Georgina Rodriguez.
Match Highlights:
- Al Sadd took the lead early in the second half when Afif raced from halfway to score past Brazilian goalkeeper Bento.
- Al Nassr equalized in the 80th minute, as Wesley‘s cross was deflected into the net by Romain Saiss of Al Sadd.
- However, Afif won a penalty in the dying moments of the game (99th minute), which Adam Ounas converted to give Al Sadd the victory.
With this result, Al Nassr remain in third place in the Western Region group stage, while Al Sadd climb to fourth and secure their place in the last 16.
In other news, Al Ahli, another Saudi team, are still top of the group despite drawing 2-2 with Iran’s Esteghlal. Ivan Toney scored twice for Al Ahli, including two penalties, as they extended their unbeaten run in the competition.
