Overview
- Al‑Nassr were beaten 4-0 by Al‑Ain in the AFC Champions League Elite opener on Tuesday, with goals from Houssine Rahimi (two), Soufiane Rahimi and Georgios Giakoumakis.
- Manager Ange Postecoglou publicly accepted responsibility for the performance and defended Cristiano Ronaldo against criticism at his post‑match press conference.
- Reports say club executives held an urgent meeting after the loss and that Postecoglou has not asked to resign, signaling a review of tactics and personnel rather than an immediate change of manager.
- Former Al‑Nassr spokesman Saud Al‑Sarami publicly suggested Ronaldo could leave in January, a claim that has circulated widely but has not been confirmed by the club.
- Ronaldo made a brief trip to Madrid before joining Portugal duty and the team now faces fixture congestion and pressure to fix defensive and tactical flaws exposed by the defeat.