Christiano Ronaldo played a key role in helping new Al Nassr Manager Stefano Pioli kick off his AFC Champions League Elite debut with a win on Monday. The Saudi Arabian team beat Qatar’s Al Rayyan 2-1 in Riyadh.
Sadio mane Scored first for Al-Nassr just before haltime, heading in a great cross from Sultan Al Ghannam. Ronaldo, who missed last week’s match, had a goal ruled out for being just offside early in the second half. However, he didn’t let that stop him. In the 76th minute, he recieved a pass from Abdulrahman Ghareeb and beautifully curled a shot into the game, but Al Nassr held on for the win, earning four points from their first two matches.
Meanwhile, Al Ahli, another saudi team, also enjoyed a good start to their Asian campaign, winning 2-0 against UAE champions Al Wasl Dubai. Riyadh Mahrez was instrumental, scoring the first goal just three minutes in. He received a long pass from Roger lbanez and skillfully slotted it into the corner. Before halftime, Mahrez assisted ibanez for the second goal, helping ease some pressure on their manager, Matthias Jaissle, who had faced criticism after recent losses.
