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Al Nassr's pursuit of the AFC Champions League trophy continued on Monday with a commanding 6–2 victory over Uzbekistan's Pakhtakor Tashkent—a triumph secured without the services of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo remains Al Nassr's leading scorer this season with nine goals across 12 matches, though some dispute that tally and believe it should stand at eight, and he has been a consistent presence in Ange Postecoglou's lineup whenever fit.
Naturally, questions arose regarding Ronaldo's situation, and contradictory reports surrounding his absence only added to the uncertainty.
Reports from sources such as the Daily Mail suggested Ronaldo had been omitted from the matchday squad due to security concerns. Several airports across Saudi Arabia have been targeted by terrorist attacks in recent weeks, which prompted the postponement of last week's AFC Champions League fixture between Al Nassr and Al Wasl.
However, when head coach Postecoglou was pressed on Ronaldo's absence, he attributed it to fitness issues and a desire to protect the 41-year-old from the physical toll of travel during a congested fixture schedule.
Regardless, Ronaldo is anticipated to return to the Al Nassr squad for their upcoming clash against Al Hazem on Friday.
Postecoglou: Al Nassr Are Not Better Without Ronaldo
With Ronaldo sidelined, Al Nassr cruised past their opponents, with João Félix delivering a standout performance that included two goals and two assists.
Following the final whistle, Postecoglou was questioned about whether his Al Nassr side might mirror the Portugal national team situation, where many have debated whether the team actually performs better without Ronaldo on the field. The manager was quick to push back on that notion.
"But Cris played the last game and we scored five goals," Postecoglou pointed out. "If Cris plays, doesn't play, what is the most important is the players who played today performed at a very strong level.
"We know the opposition have done very well against the other Saudi teams so it wasn't going to be easy. But our attacking play in general was very, very good.
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"I'm sure if Cris was here, it would've been very good too."
Ronaldo will head into the next round of fixtures trailing Al Ahli's Ivan Toney in the Saudi Pro League scoring charts. The Englishman has found the net 12 times, including five penalties, across nine appearances.
Whether Ronaldo sits joint second or alone in third depends on the source consulted. Some outlets credit him with eight goals, while others have declined to award him the disputed strike against Al Faisaly, leaving him on seven. Officially, the Saudi Pro League has ruled in Ronaldo's favor.