Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr saw their Asian Champions League match against Neftchi Fergana delayed by an hour on Monday after the Saudi-led military coalition said it had intercepted a missile fired by the Houthis towards Riyadh. Saudi Arabia has recently come under a series of attacks from the Iran-backed group, including strikes on oil facilities, tankers and transport hubs — including a string of lethal hits on Riyadh’s international airport. There was a sparse crowd in the stands of Al-Awal Park for the game which was scheduled for 9:15 pm local time (1815 GMT).
However, the television channel broadcasting the match announced a one-hour delay. In the three games Ronaldo was either an unused substitute or absent, Portugal won, and his replacement Gonçalo Ramos seized his chance by scoring three goals. This incident did not seem to upset Ronaldo, who scored the 981st goal of his career just before halftime, as the Saudi champions secured a 3-1 win. Ronaldo was involved only in Portugal’s opening Nations League game, where he was replaced by Ramos in a 1-0 win over Wales. He left the squad after watching the second game from the substitutes’ bench — a 2-1 win in Norway — and Portugal showed no ill effects from his departure with wins over Denmark and Norway to book a quarterfinal.
The stadium announcer said the situation was safe, that the match would be played, and asked spectators to remain in their seats.
