Joao Felix Scores Twice as Al-Nassr Rout Pakhtakor 6-2 in Tashkent, Ronaldo Rested

Joao Felix scored twice in the first half as Al-Nassr beat Pakhtakor 6-2 in Tashkent on Monday, November 2, 2026. The match was matchday 4 of the AFC Champions League Elite at Pakhtakor Central Stadium, also called Pakhtakor Markaziy, and the final score was Pakhtakor 2, Al-Nassr 6.

Abdullah Al-Hamdan opened the scoring in the 15th minute. Felix then scored both of his goals before halftime. Flamarion pulled one back for Pakhtakor in the 36th minute, and Al-Nassr led 3-1 at the break. The second half brought more goals. Abdulrahman Ghareeb scored in the 62nd minute, and Abdulelah Al-Amri and Angelo Gabriel also scored for Al-Nassr. Substitute Dostonbek Khamdamov scored Pakhtakor's second goal in the 75th minute. By full time the home side had conceded six and scored two.

Ronaldo rested in Riyadh decision

Cristiano Ronaldo did not travel to Tashkent and was left out of the squad. Head coach Ange Postecoglou also rested Kingsley Coman and Mohamed Simakan. Postecoglou explained the call in his press conference.

"I decided to rest Ronaldo, Coman and Simakan, given the pressure of matches and the amount of travel involved," Postecoglou said, in comments reported by talkSPORT.

Some reports linked Ronaldo's absence to security concerns around Saudi Arabia. Postecoglou's stated reason on the record was rest and travel load, and this report follows the coach's own explanation. Readers should treat the security link as a claim in some headlines, not as the reason the coach gave.

Ronaldo's recent form makes the rest notable. He scored a hat-trick against Al Kholood in the Saudi Pro League last Thursday, taking his career goal tally to 985. He has nine goals in 12 appearances this season. Without him, Felix took the main scoring role and finished the first half with two goals.

What the result means for both sides

For Pakhtakor, the defeat leaves a hard position in the AFC Champions League Elite west standings. They sit 12th with 2 points after this loss, and their first win in the competition is still to come. Their next match is away to Al-Ittihad on November 23.

Al-Nassr came into this match with a mixed start in the competition. They lost 4-0 at Al Ain on the opening matchday and then beat Neftchi Fergana 3-1. Their home fixture against Al Wasl in this competition was postponed. A 6-2 away win in Tashkent is their widest scoring result in this run of facts, and it came without their captain in the squad.

The scoring was spread across the team. Al-Hamdan, Felix, Al-Amri, Ghareeb and Angelo Gabriel all scored for Al-Nassr, five different scorers in total, with Felix the only player to score twice. Pakhtakor scored in each half, through Flamarion and then Khamdamov, but they could not close the gap after falling behind early.

The match is final. Pakhtakor now travel to Al-Ittihad on November 23 still looking for a first win, while Al-Nassr return from Tashkent with six goals scored and a squad that had its captain, Coman and Simakan rested for the trip.