AFC Champions League: Al-Nassr vs. Neftchi Fargana delayed after a missile strike!

The Asian Champions League match between Al Nassr and Neftchi Fargana kicked off an hour late on Monday evening in Riyadh. The reason: the announcement of the interception of a ballistic missile launched towards the Saudi capital.

Tension was palpable in Riyadh on Monday evening. While fans were waiting for the kick-off of the match between Al Nassr, Sadio Mané's club, and the Uzbek team Neftchi Fargana, a security alert disrupted the initial schedule.

The Saudi-led military coalition announced it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile fired by Houthi rebels toward Riyadh. Shortly before this announcement, correspondents for Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported hearing several explosions in the Saudi capital.

At the same time, residents received an alert on their phones urging them to remain calm, take shelter and stay away from windows and doors, in accordance with civil defense instructions.

Originally scheduled for 9:15 p.m. local time, the match was ultimately postponed to 10:15 p.m. At Al-Awwal Park Stadium, the stands were relatively empty. The stadium announcer reassured spectators about the match, urging them to remain in their seats.

Despite the unusual circumstances, Cristiano Ronaldo managed to stay focused on the pitch. The Portuguese striker scored the 981st goal of his career just before halftime, moving even closer to the symbolic milestone of 1,000 goals.

This incident comes as Saudi Arabia faces a renewed escalation of tensions related to the conflict in Yemen. Since 2014, clashes have pitted the Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, against Yemeni government forces, supported since 2015 by a military coalition led by Riyadh.