Al Nassr dominates AFC Champions League second-tier competition with a 5-1 victory; Ronaldo starts but remains scoreless and receives the lowest rating.

Due to Al Nassr’s trophyless last season and disappointing Saudi Pro League results, Ronaldo has no chance to play in the main AFC Champions League this year and instead competes in the secondary tournament, the AFC Cup.

At midnight Beijing time on December 25, in the AFC Champions League secondary league, Al Nassr hosted Iraq’s Al Zawraa. Ronaldo started and played half the match, delivering one assist but failing to score. Coman scored twice, Felix added a goal, and Al Nassr won 5-1 at home, topping their group undefeated to advance.

In the match between Al Nassr and Al Zawraa, Al Nassr is a dominant force in the AFC elite league, so playing in the second-tier competition was a one-sided affair. Coach Jesus deployed a 4-1-3-2 formation with Ronaldo and Felix as the Portuguese strike duo, Coman on the left wing, and Bruno positioned as defensive midfielder. The starting lineup’s total market value was €98.2 million; in comparison, Al Zawraa’s starting eleven was valued at just €3.85 million, less than 1/25th of Al Nassr’s worth. The gap was enormous. Despite the vast difference, superstar Ronaldo, starting the match, was unable to score and earned only a 6.7 rating, the lowest among Al Nassr’s starters.

At 40 years old, Ronaldo is indeed slowing down. He maintains strict discipline, with very low body fat and well-developed muscles, but no player can escape the effects of aging. Whenever Ronaldo finishes a match without scoring, he consistently receives the lowest rating among the starting eleven, indicating that his current style of play consumes a lot of the team’s tactical resources.

From my perspective, Ronaldo’s shooting skills remain exceptional, especially for someone at 40. Actually, coming off the bench and playing a counter-attacking role could be tactically more valuable for him. However, Ronaldo remains an indispensable starter for both Al Nassr and the Portuguese national team, which may actually weaken the attacking strength of both sides. What are your thoughts on this?