Al Ain expose Al Nassr flaws as Cristiano Ronaldo’s AFC Champions League Elite return ends in heavy defeat

Al Nassr’s return to the AFC Champions League Elite ended in a 4-0 defeat by Al Ain, exposing serious weaknesses in Ange Postecoglou’s side and raising fresh questions about Cristiano Ronaldo’s role within the team.

At Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain repeatedly punished defensive mistakes, with Hussein Rahimi and Soufiane Rahimi playing central roles in a result that went far beyond a routine heavy loss. Al Nassr’s defensive lines were stretched, the midfield left gaps and the attack failed to produce a meaningful response.

The problems were visible from the beginning. Postecoglou selected a 3-4-3 formation, but the system left Al Nassr particularly vulnerable in the wide areas. The team lacked defensive cover on both flanks, allowing Al Ain to attack spaces that the hosts identified and exploited with regularity.

Al Nassr’s pressing was also ineffective. Its players remained too far apart and failed to put genuine pressure on Al Ain, whose defenders were able to move the ball forward and retain possession with little disruption.

Individual errors then compounded the tactical problems. Saad Al Nasser’s misplaced pass presented Hussein Rahimi with the opportunity to score the opening goal. The second followed a similar pattern, as a ball from the right reached the centre of Al Nassr’s defence and Hussein Rahimi finished again.

The space in the middle of the pitch was no better protected than the flanks. Soufiane Rahimi was found with a precise pass inside the gap left by the defence for the third goal, further underlining Al Nassr’s lack of defensive structure.

The fourth goal summarised the evening. With Al Nassr pushing forward in search of a way back into the match, Al Ain broke quickly. Soufiane Rahimi led the counter-attack before supplying his Greek team-mate, who scored the final goal.

Postecoglou has repeatedly referred to the demands of the schedule since the 2-1 defeat by Al-Ittihad. He used similar explanations after the draw with Al Khaleej and again pointed to the fixture list after the loss to Al Ain. The manager has also highlighted Al Nassr’s lack of major signings in some positions.

Those factors may have affected the team, but they cannot fully account for repeated tactical and individual mistakes. Against Al Ain, the issue was not simply fatigue. The defence allowed huge spaces, the press lacked coordination, the lines were disconnected and Al Nassr created too little against Khalid Eisa.

Ronaldo’s performance also exposed a wider concern. The Portugal forward retains the quality to score and influence matches, but expecting him to press and cover the same ground for 90 minutes as he did earlier in his career requires reconsideration.

He no longer applies pressure in the same way, making it easier for opponents to play out from the back. His acceleration also appeared less controlled in several races. That is a natural consequence of age, but it becomes more significant when the team around him cannot compensate.

Al Nassr therefore need more than returning players or new signings. They must recover a clear identity, while Postecoglou must find solutions with the squad currently available. The defeat may prove to be a warning before tougher opponents exploit the same weaknesses again.