{"id":258550,"date":"2026-08-19T00:59:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T00:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/19\/here-to-stay-aussies-unbeaten-saudi-start-continues-with-ronaldo-still-waiting\/"},"modified":"2026-08-19T00:59:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T00:59:00","slug":"here-to-stay-aussies-unbeaten-saudi-start-continues-with-ronaldo-still-waiting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/19\/here-to-stay-aussies-unbeaten-saudi-start-continues-with-ronaldo-still-waiting\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Here to stay!\u2019 Aussie\u2019s unbeaten Saudi start continues \u2026 with Ronaldo still waiting"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Cristiano Ronaldo watched on as Ange Postecoglou made it two wins from two starts at Al Nassr with a thumping King\u2019s Cup win.<\/p>\n

The Saudi powerhouse overcame a goal within two minutes from Pro League rivals Al-Diriyah to romp to a 4-1 victory that sees them progress to the Round of 32.<\/p>\n

Portuguese star Joao Felix again relished the chance to take the spotlight, stepping out of his champion national teammate\u2019s shadow with a brace and setting up Mohamed Simakan for the equaliser early in the match.<\/p>\n

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Felix also scored in Postecoglou\u2019s first match at the helm<\/a> against Al-Fateh in their Pro League season opener on the weekend.<\/p>\n

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RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – AUGUST 18: Joao Felix of team Al Nassr FC celebrates scoring their fourth goal during the Saudi King’s Cup game between Al Diriyah and Al Nassr at Al Awwal Park on August 18, 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Abdullah Ahmed\/Getty Images)<\/span>Source: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Postecoglou will undoubtedly be relieved at his team\u2019s strong start, having been ousted from his most recent managerial stint at EPL side Nottingham Forrest after just 40 turbulent days in 2025.<\/p>\n

Impressively, the two wins have come without Ronaldo, the team\u2019s highest-profile star and one of the greatest footballers of all time, playing a single minute.<\/p>\n

Postecoglou is yet to comment publicly on the legendary striker\u2019s absence, but he has reportedly been reluctant to risk him early in the season, with the 41-year old only returning to Al Nassr training in the days before their season opener after marrying long-term partner Georgina Rodriguez.<\/p>\n

It has been reported that the five-time Ballon d\u2019Or winner could return to the team when Al Nassr face Al-Riyadh in their Round 2 Pro League clash on August 21.<\/p>\n

Vision captured from the stands by fan account The Nassr Tribune showed Ronaldo watching his team\u2019s King\u2019s Cup win intently alongside son Cristiano Jr.<\/p>\n

He and Postecoglou previously combined to fire up the team ahead of their season opener, with vision of the Australian\u2019s pre-match address going viral<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst step, new journey,\u201d Postecoglou told the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst step, make it stronger. Chest out, personality.<\/p>\n

\u201cShow everyone what we are about.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cristiano Ronaldo watched on as Ange Postecoglou made it two wins from two starts at Al Nassr with a thumping King\u2019s Cup win. The Saudi powerhouse overcame a goal within two minutes from Pro League rivals Al-Diriyah to romp to a 4-1 victory that sees them progress to the Round of 32. Portuguese star Joao […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":258551,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6807],"tags":[156],"class_list":{"0":"post-258550","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-leagues-cups","8":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258550","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=258550"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258550\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/258551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=258550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=258550"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=258550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}