A Cristiano Ronaldo penalty and a brace from Jhon Durán propelled Al Nassr into the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League Elite with a convincing 3-0 second-leg victory over Esteghlal on Monday.
Ronaldo, who was reportedly rested for the goalless draw in the first leg in Iran, returned to lead Al Nassr at Al Awwal Park. The Portuguese forward opened the scoring from the penalty spot midway through the first half, taking his tally in this year’s AFC Champions League Elite to seven goals in six appearances.
Al Nassr dominated the match from the outset, with Durán picking up a loose ball on the right edge of the Esteghlal penalty area and floating a superb chip over goalkeeper Hossein Hosseini to give his team a 1-0 lead after just nine minutes.
The Saudi Arabian side doubled their advantage in the 27th minute after Sadio Mané, a UEFA Champions League winner with Liverpool, drew a foul from Esteghlal midfielder Zobeir Niknafs inside the box. Ronaldo calmly slotted the penalty down the center of the net, further solidifying his position as the leading scorer in this season’s Saudi Pro League with 18 goals.
Esteghlal’s night worsened just before half-time when they were reduced to 10 men. Mehran Ahmadi inadvertently caught Al Nassr defender Mohammed Al Fatil in the face with a stray arm while shielding the ball. Following a VAR review, the foul was upgraded to a yellow card, and Ahmadi was sent off having already been booked earlier.
Al Nassr nearly added a third goal at the start of the second half, with Durán having a shot saved and Ayman Yahya’s rebound cleared off the line. Minutes later, Durán struck the crossbar with a powerful shot from distance.
However, the Al Nassr forward was not to be denied his second goal, as he later drove 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 last eight with a 4-2 aggregate victory over UAE champions Al Wasl. The visitors took an early lead through Fabio Lima but were eventually overcome by Al Sadd’s attacking prowess, with Mostafa Meshaal, Youcef Atal, and reigning Asian Player of the Year Akram Afif all finding the net.
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