Jorge Jesus explains why he left Cristiano Ronaldo on bench during Al-Nassr's thumping King Cup of Champions win over Jeddah as Joao Felix takes spotlight again

It seems Felix has finally revived his career and recovered his long-lost form since moving to Saudi Arabia from Chelsea in the summer, as he has already scored seven goals across all competitions for Al-Nassr and provided two assists. On Tuesday, Felix spearheaded Al-Nassr's attack in their thumping win over Jeddah with two more goal contributions.

Ronaldo has four goals to his name in the 2025-26 campaign to date and was fresh from scoring a brace in Al-Nassr's 5-1 win over Al-Riyadh last Saturday. Despite his impressive form, Jesus opted not to use the 40-year-old in the cup clash as he remained rooted to the bench.

Speaking to reporters after the match, the Al-Nassr boss said: "I was looking to maintain his fitness and prepare for the upcoming matches in the Saudi Pro League."

Jesus also spoke highly of his team's dominating gameplay, as he added: "Jeddah was good at times, but no team can confront Al-Nassr's attack."

After a well-earned rest, Ronaldo will likely feature in Jorge Jesus' starting lineup again in a crucial Saudi Pro League encounter against reigning champions Al-Ittihad on Saturday. Al-Nassr are top of the table ahead of Al-Ittihad on goal difference after three games.