Cristiano Ronaldo attended the Saudi Pro League season opener with his family as Al Nassr began their title defence with a 3-0 win over Al Fateh.
Angelo Gabriel and Joao Felix scored in the first half while Samu Costa scored in the 73rd minute to secure victory; it was Al Nassr's 300th league win.
Ronaldo did not take part in the match as he had only recently joined training following the recent World Cup in North America and his marriage to partner Georgina Rodriguez.
Following the opening win, Costa dedicated the result to his team and Ronaldo.
“A good start. We worked hard and deserved the three points. I dedicate the victory to my family, my teammates, and Cristiano Ronaldo,” Costa said.
Costa was part of the Portugal squad that reached the round of 16 at the recent World Cup, losing 1-0 to eventual champions Spain.
It was a significant result for Nassr manager Ange Postecoglou.
Australian manager Postecoglou has been tasked with taking the team to the next level. It is no easy task as Nassr won the league last season.
The former Spurs boss was pleased with the opening result and said the team showed good spirit even in the absence of Ronaldo.
“Cristiano is here today, and he is always present with us,” Postecoglou said in his post-match press conference.
“The most important thing now is recovery, especially as we have only two days after this match, and afterwards we will determine the decision on the players’ participation according to their readiness.
“As I said before the match, we have a strong team, and there are important players who did not take part today.
“But what matters to me is that all the players who did take part, whether they started the match or came on during it, delivered a wonderful performance.”
Earlier, Al Hilal made a winning start to the season with a 4-2 victory over promoted Al Faisaly.
Ruben Neves got on the scoresheet twice and also received the player of the match award.
However, Neves said the performance was far from clinical.
“First 45 minutes, we just controlled all the game,” Portugal international Neves said. “Second half, we dropped a little bit the quality – we dropped a little bit the focus – and, in this league, it's not allowed any more to go down and to drop in these statistics.
“We need to improve. We cannot concede two goals playing at home, winning 3-0, controlling all the game.”
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Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo with wife Georgina Rodriguez and their children during the Saudi Pro League match against Al Fateh at Al Awwal Park in Riyadh. AFP -
Cristiano Ronaldo attends the SPL season opener against Al Fateh in Riyadh. AFP -
Al Nassr's Samu Costa, right, came on as a substitute for Joao Felix and scored on Saturday. Reuters -
Al Nassr's Ayman Yahya vies for the ball with Al Fateh's Kennedy Boateng. Reuters -
Al Nassr manager Ange Postecoglou. AFP -
Al Nassr forward 21 Kingsley Coman vies for the ball at Al Awwal Park. AFP -
Al Nassr's Sadio Mane battles with Al Fateh's Saeed Baattia. Reuters
