RIYADH — Cristiano Ronaldo moved to within 19 goals of 1,000 in his career after scoring his 981st as Al-Nassr beat Uzbekistan champions Neftchi Fergana 3-1 in the AFC Champions League in Riyadh on Monday, a fixture delayed by an hour due to a missile alert.
Kick-off was put back after Saudi Arabia's Civil Defence issued a safety warning just 15 minutes before the scheduled start in the capital, which has been the target of missiles fired from Yemen-based Houthis. Explosions were heard in Riyadh on Monday night following attacks on the city's airport, with the Saudi-led military coalition saying a ballistic missile had been intercepted and destroyed. Once under way, Ange Postecoglou's side went ahead through Angelo in the 33rd minute before Ronaldo doubled the lead before half-time.
Neftchi pulled a goal back after the interval but were reduced to 10 men after 65 minutes, and an own goal 13 minutes later sealed a first Group B victory for the hosts. The strike continued Ronaldo's scoring return to club football after he netted on Friday, having left the Portugal national team camp midway through the Nations League break out of frustration at limited playing opportunities.
The regional conflict could affect future sporting events, including Formula 1 races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. F1 is pressing ahead with plans to run both races, with the Qatar and Abu Dhabi governments saying there is no reason not to go and noting there have been no attacks on civilian infrastructure since the spring. The UK Foreign Office is not advising against travel, instead warning there is "a risk of more attacks and unforeseen escalation in the region", and that "British nationals currently in the Middle East should be prepared for possible flight cancellations, periodic airspace closures, and potential travel disruption".
As Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff put it on Sunday: "Whether Qatar and Abu Dhabi happens at the moment, everybody says so, and so we need to go the direction of this is six more races to go." If there is an escalation after the US mid-term elections on 3 November and the races have to be cancelled at late notice, Imola in Italy is being prepared as a back-up option for the weekend of Abu Dhabi.