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A Cristiano Ronaldo penalty and a brace from Jhon Durán fired Al Nassr into the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League Elite on Monday with a 3-0 second-leg victory over Esteghlal.
Ronaldo, the Al Nassr captain, was reportedly rested for last week’s goalless draw in the first leg in Iran but returned to lead the side at Al Awwal Park.
The Portuguese forward opened the scoring from the penalty spot midway through the first half.
Al Nassr, one of three Saudi Arabian sides that dominated the West Region’s group stage, needed only nine minutes to take the lead in Riyadh.
Durán, a winter signing from English Premier League club Aston Villa, picked up a loose ball on the right edge of the Esteghlal penalty area and floated a superb chip over goalkeeper Hossein Hosseini.
It marked the striker’s first goal in the competition.
Al Nassr 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 centre of the net, taking his tally in this year’s AFC Champions League Elite to seven goals in six appearances.
The Portuguese star is also 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. As Ahmadi had already been booked earlier, he was sent off.
Al Nassr nearly added a third at the start of the second half. First, Durán had a shot saved, and Ayman Yahya’s rebound was 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, held to a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Dubai a week earlier, 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
