According to a report by Daily Post on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, Al-Nassr coach Ange Postecoglou has rejected suggestions that his team performs better in attack when Cristiano Ronaldo is not involved.

The Saudi club recorded a convincing 6-2 victory over Uzbekistan's Pakhtakor in an AFC Champions League match on Monday, scoring six goals without their Portuguese forward.

Ronaldo was left out of the squad after featuring in Al-Nassr's previous domestic match, where he scored a hat-trick within just 15 minutes.

However, Postecoglou insisted that the team's latest performance should not be viewed as evidence that Ronaldo's absence makes their attack more effective.

The coach pointed out that Al-Nassr had also scored five goals in their previous match with the forward in the starting lineup.

“Cris played the last game and we scored five goals,” Postecoglou said. “Whether Cris plays or not, the most important thing is that the players who featured today performed at a very strong level.”

Postecoglou's comments shifted attention away from Ronaldo's absence and towards the performances of the players who featured against Pakhtakor.

Although Al-Nassr's six-goal display demonstrated the attacking options available to the team, the coach made it clear that he does not consider the result proof that the Saudi side performs better without its star forward.