Tired Ronaldo watches his Al-Nassr fire blanks in ACL

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Tired Ronaldo watches his Al-Nassr fire blanks in ACL

Cristiano Ronaldo has been sorely missed as Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia and Esteghlal of Iran drew 0-0 in the first leg of the AFC Champions League Elite second round.

Spanish international, and former Manchester City defender, Aymeric Laporte, the man who scored the only goal when the sides met on Matchday Three of the League Stage, was also missing.

It was a frustrating Monday evening in Tehran for Al-Nassr without the 40-year-old Ronaldo, who was reportedly rested due to fatigue and has collected five UEFA Champions League titles with Manchester United and Real Madrid.

Colombian striker Jhon Duran, signed from Aston Villa in January, came closest to scoring and former Liverpool star Sadio Mane had chances but Esteghlal goalkeeper Seyed Hossein Hosseini was in fine form.

“I am satisfied with the performance of the players,” Al-Nassr’s Italian coach Stefano Pioli said.

“It is important to remember that there is another game.”

The return match takes place in Riyadh on March 11, with the winner advancing to the quarter-finals.

Elsewhere, Al-Wasl of the United Arab Emirates drew 1-1 with Al-Sadd in Dubai.

Ali Saleh gave the home side an early lead but a thumping Abdulla Al Yazidi header in the second half ensured a share of the spoils for the Qataris.

Four more fixtures take place on Wednesday (AEDT) – in Qatar, Uzbekistan, Thailand and China, where former Melbourne Victory boss Kevin Muscat leads his Shanghai Port side against Yokohama F. Marinos.

The 51-year-old ex-Socceroos captain coached the Marinos, taking over from now Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou, to the Japanese league title in 2022 before leaving for Shanghai a year later.

Muscat won the ******** Super League and FA Cup in 2024.

With AAP.

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