Australian Ange Postecoglou, the new manager of Al-Nassr, began his journey with "The Global Club" with a surprising defeat against the reserve team of Portugal's Benfica.

Al-Nassr lost 1-2 to Benfica's reserves in a closed-door friendly match played on Wednesday during the team's training camp in the Portuguese city of Lisbon.

Abdulmalik Al-Jaber scored Al-Nassr's only goal in the fourth minute of the match, before the Saudi team conceded two goals, turning their lead into a defeat.

The match was the first led by Postecoglou for Al-Nassr in the Portugal camp, after taking over the team succeeding Portuguese Jorge Jesus, who left his post at the end of last season.

The Australian coach was keen to test several substitute and young players, in light of the absence of international stars following their participation with their national teams in the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico.

"The Global Club" will play its next friendly match against Spanish side Mérida on July 28, then face Portuguese side Estrela da Amadora on August 1, before concluding the camp by playing Spanish side Almería on the 4th of the same month.

Al-Nassr, led by Postecoglou, seeks to defend the Saudi League title which they won under former Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus after a 7-year absence.

"The Global Club" will also return to compete in the AFC Champions League Elite, after missing it last season when they participated in the second-tier tournament and reached the final before losing to Japan's Gamba Osaka.