Cristiano Ronaldo converted a penalty, and Jhon Durán scored a brace to fire Al Nassr into the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League Elite on Monday, securing a 3-0 second-leg win over Esteghlal.
Ronaldo, who had been rested for last week’s goalless draw in Iran, returned to captain Al Nassr at Al Awwal Park. The Portuguese forward opened the scoring midway through the first half with a calm penalty.
Al Nassr, one of three Saudi Arabian teams that dominated the West Region’s group stage, wasted no time asserting control in Riyadh. Just nine minutes into the match, Durán, a January signing from Aston Villa, pounced on a loose ball at the edge of the Esteghlal penalty area and chipped a brilliant shot over goalkeeper Hossein Hosseini, marking his first goal in the competition.
In the 27th minute, Al Nassr doubled their advantage after Sadio Mané was fouled inside the box by Esteghlal midfielder Zobeir Niknafs. Ronaldo stepped up to the spot once again, sending the ball straight down the middle for his second goal of the match, bringing his total in this year’s AFC Champions League Elite to seven goals in six appearances. Ronaldo also leads the Saudi Pro League with 18 goals this season.
Esteghlal’s night took a turn for the worse just before halftime when they were reduced to 10 men. Mehran Ahmadi, while shielding the ball, accidentally struck Al Nassr defender Mohammed Al Fatil in the face with his arm. A VAR review upgraded the foul to a yellow card, and as Ahmadi had already been booked, he was sent off.
Al Nassr nearly added a third early in the second half. Durán had a shot saved, and Ayman Yahya’s follow-up was cleared off the line. Minutes later, Durán rattled the crossbar with a powerful long-range effort. However, the Colombian striker wasn’t to be denied, as he finally grabbed his second goal, firing a low shot inside the near post after being set up by former Chelsea winger Angelo.
In Monday’s other match, two-time Asian champions Al Sadd secured their place in the quarter-finals with a 4-2 aggregate win over UAE champions Al Wasl. After drawing 1-1 in the first leg in Dubai, Al Wasl took an early lead through Fabio Lima. However, Al Sadd responded with three goals in 10 minutes just before the half-hour mark, with Mostafa Meshaal, Youcef Atal, and reigning Asian Player of the Year Akram Afif all finding the net.
AFP
