Khaberni - The Indian club FC Goa took an unprecedented step before their match against Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr in the AFC Champions League 2.
Al-Nassr will be guest at FC Goa on Wednesday for the third round of the group stage in a match held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
FC Goa announced procedures that are a first in the history of the club, where stadium gates will be opened 4 hours before the match starts.
This measure was taken by the club to open the doors extremely early compared to the usual schedule, due to the expectation of a large attendance at the stadium despite the absence of Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo from the match, after the Indian fans had hoped to see the Al-Nassr captain on the field.
Portuguese Jorge Jesus, the technical director for Al-Nassr, revealed in statements on Tuesday the reason for excluding Ronaldo from the squad for the Goa match, saying he preferred to rest him and not involve him in matches outside Saudi Arabia at the current time to maintain his physical fitness.
Ronaldo has not played any matches with Al-Nassr in the AFC Champions League 2, missing the games against Istiklol Dushanbe of Tajikistan and Al-Zawraa of Iraq.
Al-Nassr enters the match in search of a third consecutive win and to extend their lead at the top of Group 4, which the Indian team anchors without any points.
Al-Nassr began their campaign in the tournament with a 5-0 win over Istiklol Dushanbe in Riyadh followed by a 2-0 away victory over Al-Zawraa of Iraq.
