Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mané found the net as Al-Nassr secured a 2-1 victory over Al-Rayyan in the AFC Champions League.
From the outset, Al-Nassr dominated play and came close to opening the scoring within the first 15 minutes. Cristiano Ronaldo had the first chance in the 10th minute after receiving a pass from Angelo Gabriel, but his right-footed strike failed to challenge Al-Rayyan goalkeeper Paulo Victor.
Just three minutes later, Ronaldo missed arguably the easiest opportunity of the match when Angelo delivered a pinpoint cross. The veteran striker’s first-time shot from close range was once again denied by Victor.
The breakthrough finally came for Al-Nassr right before halftime when Sadio Mané, left unmarked, headed home a cross from Sultan Al Ghanam, giving the Saudi side a 1-0 lead.
Early in the second half, Ronaldo appeared to have doubled the lead, but his goal was ruled out for offside following a lengthy VAR review.
Ronaldo eventually found the back of the net in the 76th minute after receiving a pass from Abdulrahman Ghareeb. The Portuguese forward calmly slotted the ball past Victor with his left foot, securing his seventh goal in eight appearances across all competitions and doubling Al-Nassr’s lead.
Al-Rayyan pulled one back late in the game as Roger Guedes scored from an assist by Achraf Bencharki, but it was too little, too late, as Al-Nassr held on for the 2-1 win.
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