Al-Nassr immediately stumbles against Gerrard without Ronaldo

Ronaldo personally led Al-Nassr to winning the Arab Champions Cup, but he didn't come out unscathed from the final against Al-Hilal. 

As a result, Al-Nassr had to play the first league match without him, and the 38-year-old forward was missed.

Through Sadio Mané, Al-Nassr did manage to take an early lead in the game, but it wasn't expanded upon. After some tactical adjustments by Gerrard, Al-Ettifaq turned the match in their favor in the second half. Robin Quaison scored after 47 minutes, and shortly thereafter, Moussa Dembélé, who joined on a free transfer from Olympique Lyon this summer, got his chance.

Al-Nassr will play against Al-Taawon next week, while Al-Ettifaq will face Al Hazm.