Al-Nassr head coach, Stefano Pioli has refused to comment about captain Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence in their defeat against Al-Sadd on Monday.

Ronaldo didn’t feature as Pioli’s men lost 2-1 in their AFC Champions League clash at Al-Awwal Park.

The Knights of Njad have already qualified for the knockout rounds of the AFC Champions League.
Pioli decided to rest Ronaldo as he opted not to include the former Manchester United forward in the squad.

Newsmen reports that Akram Afif gave Al-Sadd the lead in the 53rd minute before an own-goal from Romain Saiss restored parity.

Adam Ounas then scored a late penalty in stoppage time to give the visitors the victory.

After the match, Pioli was asked about Ronaldo’s absence and the Italian saus (via Al Nassr Zone):

“I will not talk much about the absence of any player.

“We worked hard in the match, missed a number of opportunities and lost.”

Ronaldo has been impressive for Al Nassr so far this season.

The Portuguese, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 78 goals in 87 games for the Riyadh-based team since joining the club as a free agent after terminating his contract with Manchester United in 2022.