SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – Cristiano Ronaldo will return from suspension on Monday to try to salvage Al Nasr's season and move the Saudi team closer to its first-ever Asian Champions League title.
Last Thursday, the 39-year-old was handed a one-match suspension for making an offensive gesture during a Saudi League match four days earlier. After the 3-2 victory over Al-Shabaab, video footage showed Ronaldo cupping his ears and repeatedly thrusting his hand forward near his pelvis, pointing at Al-Shabaab fans. It is thought that it was
The penalty left Ronaldo frustrated from the sidelines as Al Nasr took the lead four times in the domestic league on Thursday, but ended in a 4-4 draw at home to bottom side Al Hazm. I decided to keep an eye on it. The result placed the club in second place in the Saudi Professional League, nine points behind leaders Al Hilal.
“Ronaldo strengthens the team and makes the opponents have more respect, but his absence has nothing to do with the result,” said Al Nasr coach Luis Castro. “The fact is that we conceded too many goals. The problem is not systemic, but individual mistakes.”
“The results of the league will not affect the games in the Asian Champions League as we will be fully focused on it.”
The continental competition will give Al Nasr the best chance of winning silver this season, with the team facing a short trip to 2003 champions Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates in the first leg of the quarter-finals.
There will be an all-Saudi clash on Tuesday, with Al Hilal, who have the most titles on four continents in history, taking on Al Ittihad, the 2004 and 2005 champions.
Neymar is still missing for current Saudi league leaders Al Hilal, while Al Ittihad are waiting to see if star striker Karim Benzema recovers from a muscular injury.
The two teams met in league play on Friday. Ittihad took the lead thanks to the performance of former Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante, but Al Hilal came from behind to win 3-1, recording their 25th consecutive win in all competitions.
“The players are playing with confidence,” said Al Hilal coach Jorge Jesus. “This is good because we are facing important games in a short period of time, starting with the Asian Champions League and a tough game against Al Ittihad, and we need to give our best.”
Saudi Arabia's defending champions Al Ittihad are currently in fifth place in the league and have withdrawn from the domestic title race.
Ittihad defender Ahmed Hegazy said: “We are moving in the right direction and the Asian Champions League quarter-finals were the most important match of the season for us.” “We know it will be a tough game against Al Hilal, but this is a different game and we are focused on this.”
In the East Zone, the tournament will be geographically split into two halves until the final, which will be an all-Korean clash with Jeonbuk Hyundai taking on Ulsan HD. Both teams won two titles each.
In the remaining matches, Japan's Yokohama F. Marinos will face China's Shandong Taishan on Wednesday.
The second leg will be played the following week.
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