Late on Tuesday, the Saudi team added goals from Anderson Talisca and former Liverpool striker Sadio Mane, bringing their record in the first Asian club championship to three victories out of three.
In the AFC Champions League, Cristiano Ronaldo turned back time to score two incredible goals and lead his Al Nassr team to an exciting 4-3 victory over Al Duhail of Qatar. Late on Tuesday, the Saudi team added goals from Anderson Talisca and former Liverpool striker Sadio Mane, bringing their record in the first Asian club championship to three victories out of three.
In the 25th minute, Talisca scored the first goal in Riyadh from beyond the box, setting up the goal with a deft back-heeled flick from 38-year-old Ronaldo, who was showing off all of his talents. Eleven minutes after the break, Mane turned and slammed home a second goal to make it 3-0. Five minutes later, it looked as though Al Nassr was coasting when Ronaldo curled home a delicious third goal from outside the area.
However, the Qatari team, spurred on by former Liverpool and Barcelona winger Philippe Coutinho, scored twice in the next six minutes through Almoez Ali and Ismail Mohamad, leaving the match in suspense.
Ronaldo seemed to have had the last word with nine minutes left when he raced on to a long ball from Sultan Al Ghannam and finished with an incredible left-foot volley while staying in step. Michael Olunga drew it back to 4-3 in the 85th minute, setting up a tense final few minutes. There was still time for another twist.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s spectacular plays enable Al-Nassr defeat Al-Duhail 4-3.
There’s not much you can do while facing Ronaldo, Al Duhail manager Christophe Galtier observed. Galtier managed the French powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain the previous season.
Top of the world
He scored a pair of exquisite goals. I have no idea how to characterize him. For someone who is 38 years old, what he did today is remarkable. He remains the world’s finest player. Al Hilal, a different Riyadh-based team, easily overcame the absence of their injured star Neymar, defeating Mumbai City 6-0 thanks to two goals from Aleksandar Mitrovic, a former Fulham forward.
East Zone: South Korea’s Pohang Steelers defeated the reigning champion Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan 2-0 at home. Jeong Jae-hee and Goh Young-jun scored goals for Pohang Steelers just before halftime in Saitama.
With just four points from their first three Group J games, Urawa now faces a struggle to get to the knockout stages. They are currently tied with Wuhan Three Towns of China, who defeated Hanoi FC 2-1 to record their first victory.
Pohang was the superior team today and should have won. We were limited, particularly in terms of our physical capabilities, according to Maciej Skorza, manager of Urawa.
With a 4-2 victory over Thailand’s BG Pathum United, Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale made it three wins in a row and opened a three-point lead over Ulsan Hyundai of South Korea at the top of Group I.
With two goals from Saeid Sadeghi, the home team achieved their second victory in three games and a five-point lead over Al Duhail and Istiklol, who each have one point.
With a 4-1 thumping of Saudi team Al-Fayha, Alfred Schreuder’s Al-Ain team continued their flawless record in Group A and advanced one step closer to the knockout stages.
Kouame Kouaido opened the score, and Paraguayan Kaku scored twice. Soufiane Rahimi sealed the victory in the last minute, following a consolation goal for the visitors by Nawaf Al Harthi.
With a 4-1 thumping of Saudi team Al-Fayha, Alfred Schreuder’s Al-Ain team continued their flawless record in Group A and advanced one step closer to the knockout stages.
Kouame Kouaido opened the score, and Paraguayan Kaku scored twice. Soufiane Rahimi sealed the victory in the last minute, following a consolation goal for the visitors by Nawaf Al Harthi.