Cristiano Ronaldo’s hopes of winning a first major trophy since arriving in Saudi Arabia in 2022 were given an unlikely domestic lifeline on Saturday and, on Monday, the Portuguese star can help Al-Nassr stay on course for a first Asian title.
Ronaldo scored his seventh goal of the season against Al-Qadsia on Friday in a battle against Spanish defender Nacho but his former Real Madrid teammate was celebrating at the final whistle.
“It was a different and difficult game against Ronaldo,” Nacho said. “He is my friend and I had the best part of my career playing with him but here we have a different experience and are playing for different teams. It was an honor to play against him.”
Al-Nassr looked to be slipping out of the Saudi Pro League (SPL) title race. Al-Hilal, unbeaten in 46 league games, would have gone nine points clear on Saturday with a win against Al-Khaleej but despite leading 2-0, Hilal fell to a shock 3-2 defeat, a first since May 2023.
“We knew that the victories would not continue because this is football,” said Hilal forward Marcos Leonardo. “We have to work and achieve victory in the next match in the AFC Champions League Elite.”
Saudi Arabian clubs have yet to lose in the western zone of the Asian competition — the 24 teams in the tournament are divided into two groups of 12 with eight from each progressing to the Round of 16 after playing eight matches — and occupy the top three spots.
Al-Nassr is third with ten points from four games and will be almost certain of a place in the next round if it defeats Al-Gharafa of Qatar.
Al-Hilal, a four-time champion and top of the group with four wins, also travels to Qatar to face 2011 winner Al-Sadd. Unlike SPL games, Neymar is eligible to play in Asian competitions but the Brazilian is still recovering from the injury sustained against Esteghlal of Iran earlier in November.
Al-Ahli of Jeddah is second with the maximum 12 points and faces defending champion Al-Ain of the United Arab Emirates. Al-Ain is bottom of the group and lost 5-4 to Hilal and then 5-1 to Nassr, defeats which cost Hernan Crespo his job as head coach earlier in November. The Argentine has been replaced by Leonardo Jardim, the Portuguese boss who led Al-Hilal to the 2021 continental title.
In the eastern zone, there is another former champion in 12th and last place. Ulsan HD, winner in 2012 and 2020, has lost all four games. Ulsan has just won a third successive South Korean title and needs to defeat newly-crowned Chinese champion Shanghai Port to keep chances of the second round alive.
Australia’s sole representative Central Coast Mariners is also in need of victory as it has just one point. The A-League team however has a daunting trip to Japan to face group leader Vissel Kobe.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo kicks the ball during Riyadh Season Cup 2024 final match against Al Hilal at Kingdom Arena Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. (AP Photo, File)
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan on Sunday suspended mobile and internet services “in areas with security concerns” as supporters of imprisoned former premier Imran Khan geared up for a protest in the capital.
The government and Interior Ministry posted the announcement on social media platform X, which is banned in Pakistan. They did not specify the areas, nor did they say how long the suspension would be in place.
“Internet and mobile services will continue to operate as usual in the rest of the country,” the posts said.
Meanwhile, telecom company Nayatel sent out emails offering customers “a reliable landline service” as a workaround in the areas suffering suspended cellphone service.
Khan has been in prison for more than a year and has over 150 criminal cases against him. But he remains popular and his political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf or PTI, says the cases are politically motivated.
His supporters rely heavily on social media to demand his release and use messaging platforms like WhatsApp to share information, including details of events.
Pakistan has already sealed off capital Islamabad with shipping containers and shut down major roads and highways connecting the city with PTI strongholds in the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram said Khan's wife Bushra Bibi was traveling to Islamabad in a convoy led by the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Gandapur.
“She cannot leave the party workers on their own,” said Akram.
The government is imposing social media platform bans and targeting VPN services, according to internet advocacy group Netblocks. On Sunday, the group said live metrics showed WhatsApp backends are restricted in Pakistan, affecting media sharing on the app.
The U.S. Embassy issued a security alert for Americans in the capital, encouraging them to avoid large gatherings and warning that even “peaceful gatherings can turn violent.”
Last month, authorities suspended the cellphone service in Islamabad and Rawalpindi to thwart a pro-Khan rally. The shutdown disrupted communications and affected everyday services such as banking, ride-hailing and food delivery.
The latest crackdown comes on the eve of a visit by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said authorities have sealed off the city’s Red Zone, which houses key government buildings and is the destination for Khan's supporters.
“Anyone reaching it will be arrested,” Naqvi told a press conference.
He said the security measures were in place to protect residents and property, blaming the PTI for inconveniencing people and businesses.
He added that protesters were planning to take the same route as the Belarusian delegation, but that the government had headed off this scenario.
Naqvi denied cellphone services were suspended and said only mobile data was affected.
Paramilitary soldiers patrol as they station at a overhead bridge ahead of a planned rally by supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Paramilitary soldiers patrol as they station at a overhead bridge ahead of a planned rally by supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Police officers patrol at a road barricaded with shipping containers ahead of a planned rally by supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Police officers patrol at a road barricaded with shipping containers ahead of a planned rally by supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Paramilitary soldiers stand guard with riot gears at a road barricaded with shipping containers ahead of a planned rally by supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Paramilitary soldiers stand guard with riot gears at a road barricaded with shipping containers ahead of a planned rally by supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Police officers stand guard on an entry point to motorway leading to Islamabad, which has been closed by authorities due to a planned rally by supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, in Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
