Cristiano Ronaldo found the net on his AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE) debut as Al Nassr beat Al Rayyan 2-1 in their group stage match at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Ronaldo, who had missed the first match of the ACLE with a viral infection, looked in fine touch from the beginning, coming close to scoring twice in the first 15 minutes.
AS IT HAPPENED: Al Nassr vs Al Rayyan, AFC Champions League Elite HIghlights
But he was denied by Brazilian goalkeeper Paolo Victor, who remained an astute presence between the sticks for Rayyan till Sadio Mane breached the defence with a flying header off Sultan Al-Ghannam’s cross in first-half stoppage-time.
Rayyan came out with a more composed defence after the break and managed to keep the hosts in control for the larger part of the game, cutting out spaces along the flanks and forcing them to take a narrow approach.
Ronaldo thought he had scored two minutes into the restart when he guided a through ball in the box, into the net. But the linesman raised the flag and the on-field referee, after a discussion with the VAR, ruled the goal out.
His moment in the sun arrived nearly half an hour later when he got the ball on the right side of the field and whipped in a left-footed curler into the net.
As the lead doubled, thousands of local fans got louder, with the Portuguese dedicating the goal to his father, who would have been 71 years old on September 30.
Rayyan caught Nassr in hot water when it attacked against the run of play, with barely five minutes remaining in regulation time.
Achraf Bencharki staved off Nassr’s defence along the left flank and delivered a low cross for Roger Guedes on his right, with the latter tucking the ball in the 87th minute. Rayyan kept piling on attacks after the goal but Bento, Nassr’s goalkeeper stayed firm to deny any chances of a late equaliser.
The win propelled Nassr to third in the group standings while Rayyan slumped to second from bottom. Nassr will return to the regular season of Saudi Pro League, hosting Al Orobah four days later.
