Football
AFC Champions League: Cristiano Ronaldo smashes two marvellous goals as Al Nassr cruise to another victory
Star Pourtgees striker Cristiano Ronaldo shined in Nassr’s victory as he scored two brilliant goals to help his team.
In the ongoing AFC Champions League, Al Nassr continues their winning run in the group stage. In their final group game against Qatar-based Al Duhail, the team won the game 4-3. Star Pourtgees striker Cristiano Ronaldo shined in Nassr’s victory as he scored two brilliant goals to help his team.
Apart from him, former Liverpool striker Sadio Mane and Anderson Talisca also scored for the Saudi-based club in Riyadh. In the 25th minute, Talisca opened the scoring for Al Nassr as he scored from the edge of the box. The 38-year-old set it up for Talisca with a clever back-heeled flick. 11 minutes before the second half, Mane added another one to the scoreline with a well-made goal. Just five minutes later, Ronaldo also smashed a goal with a curly approach from outside the box.
Al Nassr seemed to be comfortably leading before the Qatar-based side charged up against them. The Qatari side, led by former Barcelona and Liverpool winger Philippe Coutinho, swiftly fought back. They scored two goals in the next six minutes through Ismail Mohamad and Almoez Ali, making the game incredibly tense. With nine minutes left, Cristiano Ronaldo appeared to seal the victory as he sprinted onto a long ball from Sultan Al Ghannam and effortlessly volleyed it into the net with his left foot.
Al Nassr continues to lead the group with a clean sweep
Yet, there was still more drama as Michael Olunga pulled one back in the 85th minute, bringing the score to 4-3 and setting the stage for a nerve-wracking final few minutes. However, Al Nassr held the nerves and led to a comfortable victory. With this win, the team is looking set for the next stage, as they are currently leading the pack.
Meanwhile, in another result, Al Hilal, from Riyadh, didn’t let their injured star Neymar’s absence affect them. They defeated India’s Mumbai City 6-0, with former Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic scoring two goals. In the East Zone, Japan’s defending champions, the Urawa Red Diamonds, faced a setback at home as South Korea‘s Pohang Steelers secured a 2-0 victory. They scored on both sides of halftime in Saitama, with Jeong Jae-hee and Goh Young-jun finding the net for the Steelers.
