Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo missed Al-Nassr's training in preparation for the match against Al-Hilal on Friday, in the climax of round 15 of the Roshan League. The Saudi sports newspaper, Al-Riyadiyah, reported on Tuesday that Ronaldo's absence was recommended by Al-Nassr's team doctor, who preferred to rest him before undergoing further medical tests to determine the nature of his injury.
Al-Nassr's coach, Luis Castro, confirmed that "his team controlled the pace of the game against Persepolis on Monday," emphasizing that the medical team is working to ensure Cristiano Ronaldo returns quickly. Al-Nassr drew with Persepolis without goals in the fifth round of the group stage of the AFC Champions League, securing the team's qualification to the round of 16.
During the match, Al-Nassr's captain, Ronaldo, sustained an injury and left the field in the 78th minute. Castro stated at a press conference after the match: "The medical team is assessing Ronaldo's injury, and he will undergo recovery to be ready for the next match." He added, "When preparing for a game, we build our lineup based on the nature of the opponent, and unfortunately, we lost a player in the first quarter-hour, forcing us to exert more effort."
He continued, "We controlled the match, but the number of chances was less than in previous matches. We gave our best." He noted, "Despite that, I am happy to have completed the match with 10 players," following the red card to Ali Lajami in the 17th minute.
Regarding the unbeaten streak of 20 matches, the Portuguese coach commented: "This is evidence of the significant effort from everyone." He added, "The players understand that the path to success requires good recovery, and 20 matches without defeat and two draws mean we are working with courage and respect."
