Al-Nassr head coach Ange Postecoglou has firmly rejected suggestions that his attacking line operates more effectively in the absence of captain Cristiano Ronaldo. The Australian tactician defended his absent talisman after watching his side cruise to a comprehensive 6-2 AFC Champions League Elite victory away at Uzbek outfit Pakhtakor.

Australian boss defends rested captain

Postecoglou brushed aside questions regarding his skipper's omission following a dominant continental away triumph in Uzbekistan. The 41-year-old five-time Ballon d'Or winner was left at home to recover after netting a 15-minute hat-trick in his previous domestic outing. Even without their veteran frontman, the reigning Saudi Pro League champions extended their winning streak across all competitions to six matches.

Tajiev comments prompt swift rebuttal

During a brief post-match press conference, reporters reminded the former Socceroos manager that Pakhtakor boss Kamoliddin Tajiev had claimed beforehand that the Riyadh club posed a greater threat without Ronaldo on the pitch.

Postecoglou responded: "But Cris played the last game and we scored five goals. If Cris plays, doesn't play, what is the most important is the players who played today performed at a very strong level.

"We know the opposition have done very well against the other Saudi teams so it wasn't going to be easy. But our attacking play in general was very, very good. I'm sure if Cris was here, it would've been very good too."

Reflecting on the emphatic margin of victory in Tashkent, the Australian added: "Pleased with the players. Good performance. Scored six goals. Fully deserved to win the game."

Joao Felix stars in Uzbekistan

With Ronaldo commonly excused from cross-border away trips during the league phase to manage his workload, fellow Portugal international Felix stepped up to orchestrate the rout. The attacker set up Abdullah Al-Hamdan's 15th-minute opener before netting twice himself in the 17th and 32nd minutes to put the visitors firmly in command.

Felix then provided his second assist of the night for Abdulelah Al-Amri in the 53rd minute to make it 4-1 prior to being substituted in the 68th minute with all three points secured.

Continental victory boosts qualification push

Claiming maximum points in Uzbekistan lifted Al-Nassr into the upper reaches of the 16-team West Region standings on six points from three games - six behind leaders Al-Ain following an opening 4-0 loss to the Emirati club and a 3-1 win over Neftchi. While their postponed clash against Al-Wasl still requires a new date after travel issues prevented the visitors from reaching Riyadh, only the top eight advance to the knockouts. Postecoglou's men now return to domestic duties sitting third in the league and two points off the summit.