‘Nightmare!’ Ronaldo suffered Al-Nassr worst defeat to date as return to AFC Champions League elite ended in 4-0 humiliation

Ronaldo and Al-Nassr suffered a shock 4-0 defeat in their long-awaited return AFC Champions League Elite/ Picture: X Al-Nassr’s return to the AFC Champions League Elite should have offered an early glimpse of what the new season could bring. Instead, Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates walked away from the opening night with a result that few at the club would have expected as Ange Postecoglou’s side suffered a heavy defeat in the United Arab Emirates.

Al-Nassr suffered a nightmare start against Al-Ain

Cristiano Ronaldo came on for Al-Nassr but the captain could do little to prevent a disastrous evening as Al-Ain swept the Saudi side 4-0 in their first AFC Champions League elite game of the campaign.The defeat came on Matchday 1 of the newly reformatted competition, meaning Al-Nassra’s Asian campaign has barely begun, but the manner of the loss immediately puts Postecoglou’s side under pressure.Al-Ain took control in the 25th minute when Houssine Rahimi opened the scoring. Al-Nassr could not find an answer before Rahimi struck again in the 63rd minute, leaving the visitors with a huge task to get back into the match.Instead, the collapse continued.Soufiane Rahimi added a third in the 72nd minute before Georgios Giakoumakis completed the proceedings five minutes from time to seal a stunning 4-0 victory for the UAE side.For all of Al-Nassr’s possession, there was remarkably little attacking threat to emerge. Postecoglou’s side controlled 58 percent of possession and won the corner count 10-2, yet managed just three shots on target.Al-Ain, by comparison, registered seven shots on target and made their opportunities count.The result also extends an impressive start to the season for Al-Ain, who came unbeaten in their first five UAE Pro League games, recording four wins and one draw.

Ronaldo suffered the heaviest defeat of Al-Nassr

For Ronaldo, the scale of the defeat makes it particularly difficult to dismiss as just a bad night.It is now the heaviest defeat of his Al-Nassr career since he joined the Saudi club in January 2023. His previous worst results in Saudi Arabia’s colors ended in three-goal defeats, with Al-Nassr losing 3-0 to Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League in December 2023 and 4-1 to the same opponents on August 24 in the Saudi Super Cup.The 4-0 defeat by Al-Ain is thus a new low for the margin of defeat during Ronaldo’s time in Saudi Arabia.However, it is not equal to the heaviest losses of his entire career. Ronaldo’s two worst defeats by goal difference remain Manchester United’s 5-0 loss to Liverpool in October 2021 and Real Madrid’s 5-0 defeat to Barcelona in November 2010, both by five goals.Tuesday’s result is particularly damaging when it came.Al-Nassr have only returned to the AFC Champions League Elite after a one-year hiatus, with a new coach, a new season and renewed expectations of a team built to compete for major honours.The opening match was to kick off the campaign.Instead, Al-Nassr are now bottom of the tournament standings after one game, having conceded four goals without conceding a goal.

Al-Nassr have seven games to repair the damage

The new AFC Champions League Elite format gives Al-Nassr some room to recover as this is no longer the traditional four-man group containing six matches.Instead, the competition now features a single league stage in which each team plays eight matches against eight different opponents.That leaves Al-Nassr with seven matchdays remaining, giving Ronaldo and his teammates plenty of opportunities to climb the table after their disastrous start.Their next opportunity comes on October 12 when Al-Nassr host FK Neftchi Fergana.The extent of the response will matter as much as the result itself. A one-year absence from the competition raised expectations of Al-Nassr’s return, while Postecoglou arrived tasked with turning a squad containing Ronaldo and other notable additions into a side capable of making a serious continental run.Instead, the first night revealed how far there is still a long way to go.

Al-Nassr fans are worried about Ronaldo and Postecoglou

The reaction from the stands was predictably furious after Al-Nassr was beaten at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.Fans expected something very different from the club’s return to Asia’s elite competition, especially with Ronaldo in charge and Postecoglou now in charge.Some fans directed their anger at Ronaldo himself, with the captain’s performance described by supporters as “pathetic” amid Al-Nassr’s inability to seriously threaten Al-Ain for long periods.Postecoglou faced even harsher criticism.Supporters questioned whether the Australian had made the difference they expected following his appointment, with Al-Nassr underperforming at both ends of the pitch as the scoring continued to deteriorate.Calls for his impeachment grew louder as the defeat unfolded.It could hardly have been a more damaging opening night for a club that entered their AFC Champions League Elite return with ambitions of breaking deep into the competition. Ronaldo and Al-Nassr now have seven games to turn things around, but the first one has already left them four goals down and very little room for another collapse.