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Jesus pleased with Al Nassr’s depth
Riyadh: Jorge Jesus gave opportunities to fringe players in Al Nassr Club’s opening AFC Champions League Two™ 2025/26 Group D tie against FC Istiklol on Wednesday and came away pleased with what he saw.
A 5-0 win against the Tajikistan side was achieved largely without the presence of key players Sadio Mane, Marcelo Brozovic and Kingsley Coman who were not in the starting XI. Cristiano Ronaldo was not even in the matchday squad.

#ACLTwo | Group D: Al Nassr Club (KSA) 5-0 FC Istiklol (TJK)

#ACLTwo | Group D: Al Nassr Club (KSA) 5-0 FC Istiklol (TJK)

"The match was important, not just because we won by five goals, but because we had more than six players playing for the first time this season,” said Jesus.

"Our goal is to find alternative solutions through this tournament, and this match gave me a good insight into many of the players.
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Abdulelah Alamri, Wesley, Salem Alnajdi were among those given their first taste of action this season with Wesley getting on the scoresheet alongside strikes from Abdulrahman Ghareeb and Angelo before Coman and Mane chipped in with late goals.

"I congratulate the team and the fans on the victory,” said Wesley. “Most importantly, we worked hard to win and not let in any goals. We worked hard to develop the team and give our best in every match".

A tougher proposition awaits Al Nassr on Matchday Two when they travel to face Iraq’s Al Zawraa SC, who picked up a 2-0 win against FC Goa of India in their opener.