Al-Riyadh newspaper reported that Al-Nassr coach Stefano Pioli informed Cristiano Ronaldo of a new decision regarding the Persepolis match in the AFC Champions League for the elite.
Signs of anger appeared on Ronaldo’s face when Pioli decided to substitute him in the classico against Al-Ahli in the 75th minute, a decision that the Italian justified as “in the interest of the team”.
According to the latest report, Pioli decided to exclude Ronaldo from the Persepolis match scheduled for next Monday at the conclusion of the league stage of the AFC Champions League for the elite.
This time, the decision is not technical, but rather comes to give the 40-year-old a rest before the many important matches that await Al-Nassr until the next international break.
Al-Nassr has already secured qualification to the round of 16 in the Champions League, and the only importance of the Persepolis match lies in working to occupy the runner-up position or maintain third place.
Ronaldo does not seem to mind Pioli’s decision this time, although he had previously stated his desire to be the top scorer in the AFC Champions League, which may explain why he is not 100% satisfied with his exit from such a match.
It is worth noting that Ronaldo has scored 6 goals in 5 matches in the AFC Champions League for the elite so far, and he is tied with Salem Al-Dawsari and Anderson Lopes in second place behind Jasser Asani, who has 7 goals and is the top scorer.
