Cristiano Ronaldo endured a day to forget on Saturday as Al Nassr suffered their first defeat of the 2026-27 Saudi Pro League season against Al Ittihad. Making matters worse for the Riyadh side over the long term, winger Kingsley Coman reportedly suffered a concerning injury that will keep him sidelined for an extended period.
Al Nassr started slowly by conceding two early goals before Angelo cut into the deficit in the 36th minute. In the second half, while chasing an equalizer, Coman was forced off the field after pulling up with a hamstring injury in the 60th minute, pulling up immediately before clutching the back of his leg.
Head coach Ange Postecoglou turned to Ayman Yahya as his replacement, but Al Nassr were unable to break through for an equalizer as they dropped their first domestic result of the campaign. Saudi outlet Arriyadiyah reported that Coman underwent imaging in Riyadh on Sunday to determine the extent of the damage.
According to Al Nassr insider Abdulaziz Al-Osaimi, medical evaluations confirmed that Coman suffered a hamstring tear against Al Ittihad. While the specific grade of the strain and a definitive timetable have not been publicly disclosed by the club, the French international is expected to remain sidelined for several weeks.
Coman has established himself as a central figure for Al Nassr following his arrival from Bayern Munich during the 2025-26 campaign, helping lead the club to the SPL title in his debut season. While he has yet to record a goal contribution through his opening appearances in 2026-27, he proved to be one of the league’s most complete attackers last term, generating 16 goals and 12 assists across 41 matches in all competitions.
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With the AFC Champions League Elite group stage kicking off in under two weeks, Postecoglou will be forced to adjust his attacking rotation. In similar scenarios last season, former manager Jorge Jesus relied on Yahya or Abdulrahman Ghareeb to fill the void on the flank whenever Coman was unavailable.
Ronaldo loses key attacking partner in final third
Throughout the 2025-26 season, Coman maintained a clean bill of health, avoiding the fitness setbacks that occasionally plagued earlier stretches of his career while serving as a fixture in the starting XI. With an extended absence now projected, Ronaldo loses one of his most reliable service providers in the final third.
Out of Coman’s 12 assists last season, five directly set up Ronaldo, accounting for nearly half of the winger’s total assist tally while ranking him second in the SPL with 17 big chances created, behind only Joao Felix (23). Conversely, Ronaldo assisted on one of Coman’s tallies during their title-winning campaign.
