Saudi Sports Company
Cristiano Ronaldo, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star, led Al-Nassr to a thrilling 4-3 victory over Al Duhail from Qatar in the Asian Champions League on Tuesday. This win keeps Al-Nassr’s perfect record intact, with nine points from three games in Group E.
Ronaldo’s Contribution
Ronaldo set up Anderson Talisca for the opening goal in the 25th minute, followed by Sadio Mane’s goal. Ronaldo then scored a long-range goal in the 61st minute, giving Al-Nassr a three-goal advantage.
Al Duhail: Fighting till the the last whistle
Al Duhail fought back with goals from Ismaeel Mohammad and Almoez Ali. However, Ronaldo’s volley in the 81st minute restored Al-Nassr’s two-goal lead. Michael Olunga scored Al Duhail’s third goal with five minutes left, leading to a nail-biting finish.
The result of the victory
The victory puts Al-Nassr three points ahead of Iran’s Persepolis. Persepolis won 2-0 against FC Istiklol of Tajikistan in Tehran, thanks to a seventh-minute penalty save by Alireza Beiranvand and two goals from Saeid Sadeghi.
In Group A, Al-Ain moved closer to the knockout stages with a 4-1 win over Saudi side Al-Fayha. Kouame Kouaido opened the scoring for the team from the United Arab Emirates, followed by two goals from Paraguayan Kaku. Nawaf Al Harthi scored a consolation goal for Al-Fayha before Soufiane Rahimi sealed the win for Al-Ain with a late goal.
Conclusion
This victory gives Al-Ain nine points from three games, putting them six points ahead of Al-Fayha, Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan and Ahal. Pakhtakor secured their first win of the campaign with a 3-0 triumph over Turkmenistan’s side in Tashkent. Hojimat Erkinov scored the opening goal before Azizbek Turgunboyev added two more.
The competition rules state that only the winners of each of the 10 groups will progress to the last 16. They will be joined by the three best runners-up from both eastern and western halves of the draw.
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