Ronaldo shines brightly to help Al Nassr break the curse, defeat Al Ain in AFC Champions League

In the AFC Champions League, Al Ain (UAE) is considered the most difficult opponent of the Saudi Arabian representatives. In the 2023-2024 season, Al Ain is the champion of this tournament when defeating Yokohama Marinos (Japan) 5-1 in the final match. Notably, before reaching the final, Al Ain had excellently defeated the two strongest representatives of Saudi Arabia, Al Nassr (won on penalties) and Al Hilah (5-4) in the West Asia bracket. Therefore, Ronaldo and his teammates really want to defeat Al Ain, to avenge the "debt" of losing to their opponent a year ago.

Ronaldo was chosen by coach Pioli to start against Al Ain. Before this match, Al Nassr had not been in great form, drawing 2 and losing 1 in their last 3 matches. Although Ronaldo had high expectations, fans were still worried when he failed to score in all 3 matches.

Al Ain is a tough opponent for Saudi Arabian teams.

However, Ronaldo put all doubts aside and performed brilliantly against Al Ain. In the first half, the Portuguese player played brilliantly, touching the ball 30 times (the most on the pitch) and continuously creating dangerous situations towards the away team's goal. In the 31st minute, Ronaldo made a classy move, defeating Al Ain goalkeeper Khalid Eisa, scoring a goal for Al Nassr.

In addition to this goal, Ronaldo also created 2 clear scoring opportunities for his teammates. The 39-year-old player had 4 shots, constantly moving, making Al Ain's defense struggle to keep up. Ronaldo's excellence helped him receive an 8.0 score from Sofascore , the highest score of the match.

Ronaldo's good performance also helped his teammates gain more confidence. In the 5th and 37th minutes, Al Nassr scored twice more against Al Ain to end the first half with a 3-0 lead.

Ronaldo shines to help Al Nassr take a 3-goal lead in the first half

After the break, Ronaldo was still one of the most outstanding and active players on the Al Nassr field. The Portuguese player had 2 more shots before being withdrawn by coach Pioli in the 80th minute. If he had been luckier, in the 74th minute, Ronaldo could have scored a double in this match with a classy solo performance on the left wing. Unfortunately, Al Ain's goalkeeper played with concentration and saved the away team.

Since Ronaldo left the field, Al Nassr has not created as much pressure as before. However, the Saudi Pro League runner-up still found 2 goals from Wesley (81st minute) and Talisca (90+4th minute) to seal the score 5-1. Earlier, at the beginning of the second half, goalkeeper Bento scored an own goal, helping Al Ain to have an honorary goal in this match.

Wesley sealed a 4-1 win for Al Nassr

Breaking the streak of winning 5-1 against Al Ain, Al Nassr ended a series of 3 matches with only draws and losses in all competitions. Ronaldo and his teammates have 10 points in the AFC Champions League, rising to 3rd place. Al Nassr is now only 2 points behind the leading teams Al Hilah and Al Ahli - both representatives of Saudi Arabia. In the 5th round, taking place on November 25, Al Nassr will face Qatar's Al Gharafa.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ronaldo-toa-sang-ruc-ro-giup-al-nassr-pha-dop-thang-al-ain-o-afc-champions-league-185241106030721934.htm