Ange Postecoglou made the point before anyone reached a microphone. The Al-Nassr manager walked past the celebrations at the final whistle on Tuesday evening in Riyadh and put his arm around Cristiano Ronaldo, who had just endured one of the strangest nights of his Saudi career.

Al-Nassr beat Neom SC 1-0 thanks to João Félix just past the hour mark, set up by Angelo. The headlines still pointed back to the man wearing No. 7.

The penalty came first. In the closing seconds of the first half, after João Félix was brought down in the box, Ronaldo stepped up and sent the ball wide of the right post. It was only his fourth missed penalty in 31 attempts for Al-Nassr.

Three minutes into the second half a Sadio Mané cross from the right ended with Ronaldo lifting a close-range finish over the crossbar. A header later in the game drifted off target too. The 982nd goal of his career would have to wait.

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‘We work as a family’

Postecoglou chose his words with the same care he had shown on the pitch.

“This is the nature of football, and it is good that we create this number of chances, and we will work on making up for the mistakes,” the Australian said afterward.

“We work as a family, so a win will be good for everyone and a loss will fall upon the whole team, so we must support one another.”

He steered the credit toward the result rather than the man who had three times failed to deliver it.

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“I am happy first and foremost to have achieved the three points and the victory against a defensively organized team,” he said at the same press conference. “We created many chances, but scoring wasn’t easy. However, our ability to create this number of opportunities is a good sign.”

Ronaldo’s first match since the Portugal ban

The night carried a weight beyond the three points. It was Ronaldo’s first match since the Portuguese Football Federation announced a 30-day suspension and a €255 fine over his departure from the national team camp before a Nations League match against Denmark, after a dispute with head coach Jorge Jesus.

The federation handed down its decision on Monday, the day before Al-Nassr kicked off against Neom. Ronaldo could be available again for Portugal’s next window on 14 November if the ban is backdated to his provisional suspension.

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