Al-Nassr beat Arkadag 1-0 without Cristiano again in the AFC

Al-Nassr defeated the Turkmenistan side Arkadag 1-0 in the 1^st leg of their AFC Champions League 2, 1/8 finals tie, as they triumphed without Cristiano Ronaldo. The superstar is set to return after missing the last 3 matches of his team, but even without Cristiano, the Saudi Arabian side took advantage before the 2^nd leg at home as Abdullah Al-Hamdan scored the only goal in the clash.

He netted in the 19^th minute as Al-Nassr had a fantastic opportunity to double its lead in the 30^th minute, but Angelo missed it.

In the 2^nd half, the Saudi Arabian team missed another 2 great chances to score, and now they will have only a 1-goal lead before the 2^nd leg. However, the expectations are that Cristiano Ronaldo will be on the pitch in the 2^nd leg, as he is expected to play again during the weekend.

There are a lot of rumors about the Portuguese superstar’s absence, as the latest news is that he chose not to play because Al-Nassr staff didn’t receive their salaries, but now that’s fixed, and he will return.

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Ronaldo disputes with PIF about the lack of transfer at Al Nassr

Man of the Match: AlHamdan 🌟
A performance full of heart and impact! 👏 pic.twitter.com/Qj2kov0w5r

— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) February 11, 2026