Al-Nassr demonstrated their attacking strength without Cristiano Ronaldo, thrashing Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor 6-2 in the AFC Champions League Elite on Monday, as Portuguese forward João Félix delivered a stunning performance with two goals.
Ronaldo was notably absent from the travelling squad for the encounter at Pakhtakor Central Stadium in Tashkent after head coach Ange Postecoglou opted to rest the 41-year-old alongside Kingsley Coman and Mohamed Simakan.
The decision came amid a demanding fixture schedule and extensive travelling commitments, with Postecoglou reportedly prioritising the fitness of his key players.
Despite missing their captain, Al-Nassr needed just 17 minutes to establish a commanding two-goal advantage.
Abdullah Al-Hamdan opened the scoring in the 15th minute, finishing off an assist from João Félix before the Portuguese attacker doubled the advantage just two minutes later.
Félix continued to torment the hosts, finding the back of the net again in the 32nd minute after receiving a pass from Sadio Mané to put Al-Nassr firmly in control at 3-0.
However, Pakhtakor refused to surrender without a fight, with Flamarion pulling one back in the 36th minute to give the home supporters something to celebrate before the interval.
The hosts’ hopes of mounting a comeback were dealt another blow shortly after the restart when Abdulelah Al-Amri headed home Al-Nassr’s fourth goal in the 53rd minute, with Félix providing the assist.
Al-Nassr continued to exploit defensive weaknesses, and Abdulrahman Ghareeb extended their advantage to 5-1 in the 62nd minute after another assist from Mané.
Although Dostonbek Khamdamov reduced the deficit for Pakhtakor in the 75th minute, the visitors quickly restored their four-goal advantage.
Ângelo completed the scoring in the 79th minute, converting an opportunity created by Al-Hamdan to seal an emphatic 6-2 victory.
The result was particularly significant given Ronaldo’s absence, with Félix emerging as the standout performer after scoring twice and contributing two assists.
However, Postecoglou’s decision to leave Ronaldo out was not necessarily an indication of any problem involving the Portuguese superstar.
According to reports, the manager wanted to manage the workload of several important players following a congested schedule.
Ronaldo had enjoyed an impressive outing in his previous appearance, scoring a hat-trick during Al-Nassr’s 5-3 Saudi Pro League victory over Al-Kholood last Thursday.
The treble took his career goals tally to 985, leaving him just 15 goals away from reaching the extraordinary 1,000-goal milestone.
His absence against Pakhtakor also came amid wider security concerns surrounding the competition in Saudi Arabia, with previous fixtures affected by reported attacks and travelling difficulties.
Al-Nassr’s scheduled meeting with UAE side Al-Wasl had also been postponed after the visitors declined to travel to Riyadh because of security concerns.
Nevertheless, the victory in Tashkent provided a significant boost to the Saudi side’s continental campaign.
The three points moved Al-Nassr to fourth place in the AFC Champions League Elite West Region standings with six points, while Pakhtakor remained on two points.
Al-Nassr will now turn their attention to their upcoming domestic commitments, with Ronaldo expected to return to action as Postecoglou continues managing his squad during a demanding period.
For the Portuguese forward, the immediate target remains adding to his remarkable goalscoring record, while Félix and his teammates have demonstrated that Al-Nassr possess enough attacking quality to deliver convincing performances even without their biggest superstar.
