Ange Postecoglou suffers surprise defeat in Al-Nassr debut

Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr played their first match under new head coach Ange Postecoglou. In a closed-door friendly held in Lisbon, the Riyadh-based team lost to the reserve squad of Portuguese club Benfica. This result serves as a serious test and food for thought for the Australian manager ahead of the new season. This is reported by Goal.com reports.

The match was organized in an unusual format at the request of the coaching staff. The game consisted of two 30-minute halves. According to Al-Riyadiya, Al-Nassr started the match very actively and took the lead in the 4th minute thanks to a goal from midfielder Abdulmalik Al-Jaber. However, the early goal did not lead the team to victory.

Why didn't Cristiano Ronaldo play?

The young players of Benfica B quickly took the initiative and managed to score twice against their opponents. The final 2:1 scoreline became an unpleasant result for Ange Postecoglou in his debut match. Team leader and captain Cristiano Ronaldo did not participate in this match, which drew the attention of many fans.

According to World Soccer Talk, the absence of the 41-year-old star striker is related to his physical recovery. After his participation in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and the final tournament with the Portugal national team, the club management and coaching staff decided to give the player extra rest. It should be recalled that Portugal's journey in the World Cup ended in the Round of 16 with a defeat to Spain.

Al-Nassr management prefers not to rush their main star into the pre-season preparation process. So far, no specific date has been set for when Cristiano Ronaldo will return to full group training. The club expects him to fully recover and be 100 percent ready for the new season.

The past season was successful for Cristiano Ronaldo. He made 37 appearances for Al-Nassr in all competitions, scoring 30 goals and providing 5 assists. Most importantly, he won the Saudi Pro League title with his team. This was the Portuguese legend's first official trophy on Saudi soil.

In the new season, Ange Postecoglou and his team have set ambitious goals. In particular, the club has identified winning the AFC Champions League Elite, a tournament they have never won in their history, as their main priority. It was previously reported that Cristiano Ronaldo also aims to win this prestigious continental trophy.