Cristiano Ronaldo starred in a match where he scored two goals to help Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr overwhelm UAE’s Al Wasl 4-0 in their AFC Champions League Elite group-stage clash on Monday at Al Awwal Park.
Ali Al-Hassan and Mohammed Al-Fatil also scored as the home side took control of the match despite an unimpressive opening, leading to the exciting victory.
The game lacked momentum early on, but Al-Hassan broke the deadlock in the 25th minute with a roaring strike from outside the box, curling the ball into the bottom-left corner.
Just before halftime, Ronaldo doubled the lead from the penalty spot after a handball decision against an Al Wasl defender, who blocked Sadio Mane’s headed effort. The 39 year old coolly sent the goalkeeper the wrong way, marking his fifth goal in this season’s tournament.
Ronaldo wasn’t done yet. In the 78th minute, he soared to meet Mane’s pinpoint cross, directing a textbook header into the net for his second of the night. Substitute Al-Fatil sealed the rout late, nodding home Marcelo Brovic’s in-swinging corner in the 88th minute to cap off a flawless team move.
Despite the emphatic result, Al Nassr remains third in their group with 16 points from seven matches, trailing behind leader Al Hilal. Al Wasl, meanwhile, sits fifth with 11 points, their hopes of advancing hanging by a thread.
Such a win underlines Al Nassr’s attacking fire power, but again, they depend on a Ronaldo to bring them into knockout stages. Fans will be wanting to see the team continue its winning ways.