Cristiano Ronaldo was in the grandstand as Qatar’s Al Sadd defeated already-qualified Al Nassr 2-1 in injury time on Monday, causing them to lose for the first time in this year’s Asian Champions League (ACL) Elite.
Given that the Saudi team had guaranteed their spot in the knockout stages last week, with three rounds of the group phase left, the 39-year-old Portuguese star was reportedly rested for the match in Riyadh.
Last time out, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner scored twice against another Qatari team, Al Gharafa. On Friday, he scored twice again in the Saudi Pro League.
However, Stefano Pioli’s matchday team for Al Sadd’s visit did not include the Al Nassr skipper.
