Al Nassr, a club from Saudi Arabia, earned first victory after beating Al Rayyan, a club from Qatar scoring 2-1 in the AFC Champions League Elite 2024/25 League Stage(West Zone) at KSU Stadium, Riyadh.
Back in the squad after missing the opening match against Iraq’s Al Shorta, Cristiano Ronaldo played a pivotal role in the early stages of the game. The Portuguese forward initiated a move that saw Angelo Gabriel narrowly miss the target with a shot, and he later tested Al Rayyan goalkeeper Paulo Vidotti twice, but Vidotti came out on top both times.
Sadio Mane had his chance in the 17th minute, firing wide after a scramble in the box following a Ronaldo pass. Despite the early dominance by Al Nassr, Al Rayyan came close to scoring with Roger Guedes forcing a save from Bento Krepski after a solo run just before the half-hour mark.
Al Nassr’s Bento once again came to the rescue in the 41st minute, making a crucial save to deny Achraf Bencharki, who pounced on a blocked shot by Trezeguet.
The breakthrough for the home side came in first-half injury time when Sultan Al Ghannam whipped in a perfect cross for Mane to head past Vidotti at the far post, giving Al Nassr a 1-0 lead.
Two minutes into the second half, Ronaldo thought he had doubled the lead after latching onto a pass from Otavio and beating Vidotti, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Ronaldo continued to threaten throughout the match, including a powerful header in the 69th minute from an Abdullah Al Khaibari cross that sailed just over the bar.
Substitutions in the 76th minute brought fresh energy to Al Nassr’s attack, with Abdulrahman Ghareeb and Wesley Teixeira combining to set up Ronaldo, who curled a left-footed shot into the net, extending the lead to 2-0.
Al Rayyan pulled one back through Roger Guedes in the 87th minute, but Al Nassr held on for the win. The victory sees the Saudi side build momentum ahead of their next match against Esteghlal FC on October 22, while Al Rayyan will face another Saudi opponent, Al Ahli Saudi FC, the day before.
Credit Photo : AFC
