Cristiano Ronaldo felt the absence of Sadio Mane in Al Nassr’s recent defeat, and head coach Jorge Jesus later revealed the reason behind the winger’s exclusion from the lineup. Cristiano Ronaldo was in the lineup as Al Nassr saw their historic winning streak snapped against Al Qadsiah, a match in which star winger Sadio Mane was a notable scratch. Following the loss, head coach Jorge Jesus detailed the reasons behind the star’s sudden absence from Sunday’s contest.
Despite traveling with the squad to Dammam’s Prince Saud Bin Jalawi Stadium, Mane was dropped from the roster due to a last-minute complication. The move forced Jesus to shuffle his attacking line, deploying Angelo on the left wing. However, both Angelo and Kingsley Coman failed to make an impact out wide, struggling to provide service to Ronaldo in the center forward position.
The gamble ultimately did not pay off; Angelo was often forced into defensive areas with far less influence than his Senegalese counterpart and was eventually substituted due to injury in the 76th minute. Al Nassr insider Ali Alabdallh later reported that Mane felt a localized pain that prevented him from taking the pitch against Al Qadsiah.
When asked for specifics during the post-match press conference, Jesus provided insight into his selection process: “I chose not to include Mane in the squad. He’s one of the players in Al Nassr that has played the most matches, and was also one of the players attacked on the weekend caught by the flu upon returning from a team trip, and had some difficulties.“
«اليوم قررت عدم إشراك ماني، في نهاية الأسبوع الماضي هو من بين اللاعبين الذين تعرضوا لإنفلونزا ولعب رغم الصعوبات الكبيرة.» 🟡جورجي جيسوس، مدرب @AlNassrFC، يجيب على سؤال صحفي «ثمانية» نواف العقيّل @nawaf__oga في المؤتمر الصحفي بعد مواجهة #القادسية_النصر 🎙️… pic.twitter.com/82GO1Q661Y— رياضة ثمانية (@thmanyahsports) May 4, 2026
While the bold decision to rest the winger coincided with the end of the club’s 20-game winning streak, Jorge Jesus stood by his move. “I looked for a fresher player down the left, so I took the decision for Mane to not play. We’ve already rested several players, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Felix,” the Portuguese boss concluded.
Mane: Al Nassr’s talisman in the 2025-26 season
In terms of pure minutes for Al Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo ranks 7th (2,814′) and has seen significantly more club action than Mane, who sits in 11th (2,360′), according to Transfermarkt. However, the 646 minutes Mane logged for Senegal during the mid-season AFCON have made him one of the most-used players in the world this season. When he is available, he has proven to be a lucky charm for the Saudi side.
To date, Mane has appeared in 32 matches for Al Nassr across all competitions, tallying 13 goals and eight assists. While his raw stats may trail those of Ronaldo, Felix, or Coman, the team’s success rate with him is undeniable: Al Nassr has won 31 of the 32 games Mane has played. Without him, the club has struggled through 13 matches with a record of seven wins, one draw, and five defeats.
Simakan and Angelo under the spotlight
Following Sunday’s loss, Jorge Jesus granted the squad a rest day to recover from a dense schedule involving the AFC Champions League Two and the Saudi Pro League. As the team prepares to return to training on Tuesday, the health of Mohamed Simakan and Angelo will be the primary focus.
According to Al Arriyadiyah, the medical staff will brief the technical team on the results of examinations for both players before training begins. Simakan and Angelo both sustained injuries during Sunday’s match; while Simakan managed to play until the final whistle, Angelo was forced off early. Their recovery will be critical as Al Nassr enters the final stretch of the title race.