Champions League: Ronaldo Rests in Tashkent Amid Security Fears

Cristiano Ronaldo is chasing a career milestone of 1,000 goals, a number that stood at 982 after his recent performance. He did not accompany his club Al Nassr to Tashkent for their AFC Champions League match against Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan on Tuesday.

Australian head coach Ange Postecoglou confirmed the absence of the Portuguese forward alongside Kingsley Coman and Mohamed Simakan. The manager cited the need to manage player workloads after Al Nassr defeated Al Kholood 5-3. Ronaldo scored a hat trick in that match, narrowing the gap to the historic thousand-goal mark.

The decision to keep key players home coincides with ongoing security concerns for international competitions in the Middle East. Al Nassr sits ninth in the West Zone of the Asian Champions League, currently outside the top spots required for the Round of 16. The team previously faced a one-hour delay during a match on October 12 due to reported missile attacks in the region. Another fixture involving Al Wasl was suspended when the Emirati team refused to travel to Saudi soil.

These security issues have cast doubt on the host country for the 2027/2028 Asian Cup. Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, president of the Asian Football Confederation, acknowledged the concerns raised by federations including Japan. He stated that the organization set a deadline by the end of November to evaluate the viability of the venue or postpone the tournament if strictly necessary.