Ronaldo Leads Al Nassr Into AFC Champions League Last Eight

Cristiano Ronaldo led Al Nassr into the quarterfinals of the Asian Champions League on Wednesday as the Saudi Arabian side defeated domestic rivals Al Fayha 2-0 to progress 3-0 on aggregate.

Nassr, who won last week’s first leg 1-0 thanks to a Ronaldo goal nine minutes from time, were the better side at Al Awwal Park and took the lead on 17 minutes through Portuguese winger Otavio.

The former Porto star, who joined Nassr last summer, headed home from close range to score in his second successive game for the club.

His compatriot, Ronaldo, looked set to endure a frustrating night personally, with the Portugal captain having a number of penalty appeals turned down and, not long into the second half, a goal disallowed for offside.

Ronaldo, 39 earlier this month, was also booked in first-half stoppage time for a late challenge, with Nassr manager Luis Castro then given a yellow card for protesting the decision too vehemently.

However, the Nassr skipper would have the final say, when four minutes from time, he latched onto yet another Marcelo Brozovic through ball.

Fayha goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic really should have dealt with the situation but could only kick his attempted clearance off the onrushing Ronaldo. The ball fell invitingly for Ronaldo to tap into the empty net.

It marked the former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus forward’s 10th goal in his past nine matches for Nassr. Ronaldo, a five-time winner of the Uefa Champions League, is competing for the first time in its Asian equivalent. (AFP)