Al Nassr rested Cristiano Ronaldo and started most 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 last night.
The Saudi Arabian side, looking to rebound from Friday’s Saudi Pro League defeat to arch-rivals Al Hilal, had already qualified for the knockout stages as Group E winners.
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With progress secured and one matchday to spare, Al Nassr manager Luis Castro chose to leave Ronaldo out of the squad for the match in Dushanbe, while naming among his substitutes the likes of Sadio Mane, Aymeric Laporte, Otavio, and Anderson Talisca.
Al Nassr ended the group stage unbeaten, with four victories and two draws. In the group’s other match, Qatar’s Al Duhail put an end to Persepolis’ chances of qualifying by recording a 2-1 victory at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran. This encounter stretched to a remarkable 107 minutes overall.
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