Ronaldo Rested as Al Nassr Top Asian Champions League Group

Al-Nassr's Portuguese forward #07 Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the AFC Champions League group E football match between Saudi Al-Nassr SC and Tajikistan's FC Istiklol at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh on October 2, 2023. (AFP)
Al-Nassr's Portuguese forward #07 Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the AFC Champions League group E football match between Saudi Al-Nassr SC and Tajikistan's FC Istiklol at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh on October 2, 2023. (AFP)
TT

Ronaldo Rested as Al Nassr Top Asian Champions League Group

Al-Nassr's Portuguese forward #07 Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the AFC Champions League group E football match between Saudi Al-Nassr SC and Tajikistan's FC Istiklol at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh on October 2, 2023. (AFP)
Al-Nassr's Portuguese forward #07 Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the AFC Champions League group E football match between Saudi Al-Nassr SC and Tajikistan's FC Istiklol at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh on October 2, 2023. (AFP)

Al Nassr rested Cristiano Ronaldo and started the majority of their foreign contingent on the bench as they concluded the Asian Champions League group campaign with a 1-1 draw away to Istiklol on Tuesday night.

With progress secured with one matchday to spare, Nassr manager Luis Castro chose to leave Ronaldo out of the squad for the match in Dushanbe, while he named among his substitutes the likes of Sadio Mane, Aymeric Laporte, Otavio and Anderson Talisca.

Istiklol took the lead at the Pamir Stadium just after the half hour when midfielder Alisher Dzhalilov fired a fine low shot into the bottom corner, AFP reported.

The hosts, yet to win in this season’s competition, were hoping for three points to lift them off the bottom of the group.

However, Abdulrahman Ghareeb levelled five minutes into the second half, the Nassr winger converting a close-range volley at the second time of asking following an initial stop from Istiklol goalkeeper Rustam Yatimov.

Castro did send for Talisca, Nassr’s second-top scorer this season behind Ronaldo, in the 74th minute, and Ivory Coast midfielder Seko Fofana and Portugal winger Otavio late on but the visitors could not snatch the win.

Nassr ended the group stage unbeaten, with four victories and two draws.



Monaco's Musrati Gets Shown a Quick Red Card in Loss to Benfica

Soccer Football - Champions League - Knockout Phase Playoff - First Leg - AS Monaco v Benfica - Stade Louis II, Monaco - February 12, 2025 AS Monaco's Al-Musrati is shown a red card by referee Maurizio Mariani as Denis Zakaria reacts REUTERS/Manon Cruz
Soccer Football - Champions League - Knockout Phase Playoff - First Leg - AS Monaco v Benfica - Stade Louis II, Monaco - February 12, 2025 AS Monaco's Al-Musrati is shown a red card by referee Maurizio Mariani as Denis Zakaria reacts REUTERS/Manon Cruz
TT

Monaco's Musrati Gets Shown a Quick Red Card in Loss to Benfica

Soccer Football - Champions League - Knockout Phase Playoff - First Leg - AS Monaco v Benfica - Stade Louis II, Monaco - February 12, 2025 AS Monaco's Al-Musrati is shown a red card by referee Maurizio Mariani as Denis Zakaria reacts REUTERS/Manon Cruz
Soccer Football - Champions League - Knockout Phase Playoff - First Leg - AS Monaco v Benfica - Stade Louis II, Monaco - February 12, 2025 AS Monaco's Al-Musrati is shown a red card by referee Maurizio Mariani as Denis Zakaria reacts REUTERS/Manon Cruz

Monaco midfielder Al Musrati got a harsh-looking red card from referee Maurizio Mariani early in the second half of a Champions League playoff first leg against Benfica on Wednesday.
Monaco was trailing at the time to a goal from striker Vangelis Pavlidis and ended up losing the game 1-0.
Mariani showed him a second yellow card and sent him off in the 52nd minute, seemingly because Musrati appeared to contest his decision after Alvaro Carreras had fouled Monaco striker Breel Embolo. He pushed Embolo to the ground from behind when they jostled for the ball and a foul was given to Monaco, The Associated Press reported.
Television replays showed that Musrati quickly wagged his right hand as if to demand a yellow card — which in itself is grounds for a yellow card.
Musrati did not appear aggressive or even to say much at all, but within one second Mariani had brandished the second yellow and ordered him off — much to the despair of the Libya international.
Monaco coach Adi Hütter was upset by the decision, saying that Musrati had acted calmly, and also by a late yellow card shown to captain Denis Zakaria — thus ruling him out of the return leg next Tuesday.
“I didn’t see him walk to the referee. The only thing what he said maybe was ‘It could be a yellow card,’” Hütter said. “Yes these are the rules we have to accept, but he was not aggressive right? And when you see the second yellow card of Zakaria, he is suspended. These are harsh yellow cards.”
Monaco left back Krépin Diatta also felt the red card was unfair.
“I think everyone saw for themselves," he said. “He wasn't angry and he was calm toward the referee. Sometimes it's too severe.”