Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo landed in Dubai along with his Al Nassr teammates as the Saudi Pro League club prepare for their Asian Champions League match against Iranian side Esteghlal.
The fixture between the two sides was scheduled to be held at the Qods City Martyrs Stadium in Tehran. However, the AFC asked home team Esteghlal to find another venue in a neutral country for the match due to unrest in the region.
A decision was made to host the match at the Rashid Stadium in Dubai, that is home to UAE Pro League club Shabab Al Ahli, on Tuesday (8pm kick-off).
On Monday, Ronaldo and the rest of his Saudi club teammates landed in Dubai hoping to continue the good form they have shown recently.
Al Nassr have won six matches in a row across competitions, with their most recent being a 2-1 win over Al Shabab in the Saudi Pro League where Ronaldo scored the winner via a 97th minute penalty.
Al Nassr have four points from the first two games in the ACL and can take a big step towards the next round with victory in Dubai. The revamped tournament now consists of two groups of 12 with the top eight from each advancing to the round of 16.
“There are a lot of games at the moment and it is not easy,” Al Nassr manager Stefano Pioli said. “We will do our best to maintain our performances in the Asian Champions League.”
In their previous match in the competition, Ronaldo’s curling effort in the 76th minute secured Al Nassr’s 2-1 victory over Al Rayyan at the King Saud University Stadium.
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Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates Al Nassr's victory over Al Shabab in the Saudi Pro League at the Al Shabab Club Stadium in Riyadh. Getty Images -
Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo scores the second goal from the penalty spot on Friday, October 18, 2024. Reuters -
Cristiano Ronaldo and Al Nassr players celebrate victory over Al Shabab in Riyadh. Getty Images -
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with teammate Ali Lajami after scoring from the penalty spot. Getty Images -
Cristiano Ronaldo after scoring the winner for Al Nassr against Al Shabab. Getty Images -
Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo continued his good form in the Saudi Pro League. Reuters -
Cristiano Ronaldo battles for the ball at the Al Shabab Club Stadium. Getty Images -
Cristiano Ronaldo secured victory for Al Nassr. Reuters
After missing a number of chances, the Portuguese great opened his account in the 2024/25 Asian Champions League. Ronaldo later revealed that he was emotional after scoring as it was his late father’s birthday.
“The match was difficult and we knew that, and we were ready for it, and we were able to achieve victory. It is not important for me now to be the best player or to win awards, what is important to me now is to enjoy and be useful to my team and my national team,” Ronaldo told the AFC website.
“It is good that the player scores, but what is important to me now is to enjoy playing and winning, and as I said, numbers do not matter to me, but today's goal has a different taste and I wish my father was alive because today is his birthday.
“Life under pressure is the normal life for me, and this life has accompanied me since the first day I wore the Manchester United shirt and I believe that pressure will accompany me until the last day of my life.”
