Playing without Ronaldo, Al-Nassr defeats Al-Riyadh
On the ground without its captain Cristiano Ronaldo, Saudi FC Al-Nassr Monday February 02, 2026 defeated Al-Riyadh in a tight match played at Prince Turki bin Abdul Aziz Stadium
Riyadh: On the ground without its captain Cristiano Ronaldo, Saudi FC Al-Nassr Monday February 02, 2026 defeated Al-Riyadh in a tight match played at Prince Turki bin Abdul Aziz Stadium.
In the absence of CR7, Sadio Mané scored the only goal in the 40th minute - assisted by João Félix, with a clinical finish often described as a volley or right-footed shot.
Interestingly, in the 92nd minute of the Al-Riyadh Vs. Al-Nassr SPL match Monday, Sadio Mané scored his second goal. But, the Video Assistant Rreferee (VAR) disallowed the away team's goal.
However, Sadio Mané and João Félix joint effort made sure that Al-Nassr wins the match, and get the crucial 3 points in the Saudi Pro League Table.
With 3 points earned today, Al Nassr FC now leads the Saudi Pro League 2025-26 Table based on goal difference (GD) and with 46 points.
One of the top Saudi football clubs, Al Nassr, has won 15 of the 19 games it has played so far, drew 1 and lost 3 scoring 31 goals.
In terms of points, Al Hilal is on position 1 in Saudi Pro League 25/26 Table with 47 points and 29 goals. Al Hilal which faced Ahli Saudi in another Saudi Pro League match of the day ended in a draw.
The Al-Ahli vs Al-Hilal SPL match Monday had actually went in the favour of the latter in the 84th minute of the match. But, a potential goal by Salem Al-Dawsari for Al Hilal was disallowed via VAR.
Why Ronaldo did not play in Al-Nassr vs Al-Riyadh SPL Match?
Al-Nassr defeated Al-Riyadh Monday without playing with its star footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. And, there are multiple, and contradictory, reports about his absence in the Al Riyadh Vs Al Nassr Feb 2 match.
While some reports said that Portuguese footballer Ronaldo rested himself due to some minor injury or illness, there are other reports that said Ronaldo was unhappy with Al-Nassr management, and was off the ground in protest.
Multiple reports, including from Portuguese outlet A Bola, ESPN, Fabrizio Romano, and others, claimed that Ronaldo is reportedly unhappy with the club's ownership and management by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF).
CR7 feels that Al Nassr has not received the same level of investment and squad strengthening during the winter transfer window compared to other PIF-backed clubs like Al Hilal, which has been linked to high-profile signings such as Karim Benzema from Al Ittihad, the reports claimed.
This dissatisfaction has led to reports describing his decision as effectively going on "strike" for at least this match to make his point, as per reports.
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