Al Nassr’s AFC Champions League Elite opener turned into a night to forget, as Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates were thoroughly outplayed in a 4-0 defeat to Al Ain.
Amid the rout, a heated moment between Ronaldo and Al Ain’s Matias Palacios stood out, reviving a flashpoint between the two players that dates back nearly two years.
The incident occurred with Al Ain already up 2-0, as Ronaldo pushed forward looking to get into the box. Palacios moved to close him down, and the contact between the two escalated into a physical exchange that ended with both players on the ground, with the referee choosing not to intervene or issue a card.
It capped off a frustrating night for Ronaldo, who had few clear chances to make an impact himself. He sent an overhead kick over the crossbar and later saw a free kick saved late in the match, unable to prevent what became one of Al Nassr‘s heaviest defeats since his arrival in Saudi Arabia.
The 2024 flashpoint between Ronaldo and Palacios
Tuesday’s clash was not an isolated case, either. Ronaldo and Palacios have a history of run-ins whenever Al Nassr and Al Ain meet, with the two players’ rivalry stretching back to a similar incident two years ago.
see also
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr fall short of the scoring world record across all competitions after 4-0 loss to Al Ain
In November 2024, during another meeting between Al Nassr and Al Ain in the same competition, Palacios and Ronaldo were involved in a similar altercation, with the Argentine complaining about an alleged elbow before Ronaldo ended up holding onto him as the two grappled. That match had a very different outcome for Al Nassr, who won 5-1 with Ronaldo among the scorers.
Al Nassr’s upcoming AFC Champions League Elite schedule
After the defeat to Al Ain, Al Nassr will look to bounce back with seven matches remaining in the AFC Champions League Elite league phase. They host FK Neftchi Fergana on October 12, before facing Al Wasl on October 26 and traveling to Pakhtakor on November 2.
The schedule continues with a home date against Al Sadd on November 24 and a trip to Al Gharafa on December 8, before the campaign resumes in the new year with a home match against Al Shamal on February 8 and a closing fixture away to Shabab Al Ahli on February 15.
