Al Nassr 2-1 Al Rayyan Highlights: Cristiano Ronaldo scores as Nassr gets first win in AFC Champions League Elite

A left-footed strike by Cristiano Ronaldo proves to be the difference as Al Nassr finds its first win in the AFC Champions League Elite, against Qatari side Al Rayyan.

Ronaldo goes down cheaply in the midfield appealing for a free-kick but the referee is not interested and then Otavio kicks a Rayyan player to give the visitors a free-kick. But the kick lands comfortably in Krepski’s gloves after he jumps to get to it.

Al Nassr looks suddenly cautious after the late goal by Guedes but instead of going into a defensive shell, the Saudi side continues to find ways to score another.

Bencharki is causing real trouble along the left flank as he makes another quick run, tries to keep the ball with a turn but fails as Nassr stop the attack and a chance of a potential equaliser.

Bencharki’s exploits finally bear fruit as he attacks on the counter and his whipped cross from the left is steered into the net by Guedes to give Rayyan fresh hope late in the game.

Rayyan tries to make a late comeback with Bencharki marauding up the pitch but he is surrounded by two yellow shirts with Sultan stealing the ball off him.

The goal gives Al Nassr a comfortable lead, with Pioli’s side looking to end the game soon, with just seven minutes of regulation time left 

Ronaldo gets the ball along the right in the penalty goals and scores with his left foot to double the lead.

In: Pereira, Naji, Out: Brenet, Saleh

Ghareeb gets to rush in for another cross from the left but cannot reach it and Otavio, in an attemot to get to it, fouls Garcia as the attack comes to an end.

Ghareeb, who has come on minutes ago, tries to go for the spectacular from outside the box but Victor, who has been fairly good tonight, makes a regulation save. 

Mane and Nawaf make parallel runs along the left flank and as Mane bluffs Rayyan’s defence with his run, Nawaf crosses the ball to Ronaldo, whose header flies over the net.

Rayyan goes for an attack with Brenet setting up Halem in front of the box. Halem takes a right-footed shot which goes out of play off a deflection from Al Nassr’s defence. The resulting corner is headed away by Nassr as the hosts go for an attack. 

Al Nassr had started its opening match of the AFC Champions League Elite with a 1-1 draw. With a slender advantage here, it will look to not go the same patch this time around. Meanwhile, Sultan heads Rayyan’s cross into the box away from danger.

Ronaldo gets the ball along the left and after a slight shift to his right, tries a right-footer, which is blocked by Saleh.

Rayyan has managed to keep Nassr in control so far in the second half. Its off-side trap has worked, with Ronaldo’s disallowed goal the case in point, as it tries to find spaces for counterattacks.

Rayyan tries to ask questions on the other end, with Mane losing the ball outside the box and Trezeguet then trying a shot with the outside of his boot, which is saved by Krepski.

Ronaldo, seconds later, gets the ball along the left flank and tries a run, with side-steps, beating three defenders. But his final shot is blocked by Rayyan for a corner, which when taken is headed away.

Nassr starts an attack from the back with Otavio getting the ball in the midfield. He turns and marches up the pitch, passing it to Mane on his left. Mane tries a cross from the flank, which lands into the gloves of Victor.

Rayyan has spread its mid-block across the pitch, trying to stifle the runs along the flanks, which is forcing Nassr to play much narrower than the first half, which in turn is working in favour of the visiting side. 

Simakan gets the ball and kicks the ball into the midfield. Ronaldo eventually gets the ball along the left flank but spaces around him are closed down by Rayyan.

Ronaldo gets the ball from a floated cross in the box and he buries the ball in the net this time around. The on-field referee initially rules the goal out as off-side and after a VAR check, stays with his decision.

No goal for Cristiano Ronaldo or Nassr.

Rayyan starts with a 4-5-1 formation to try and absorb Al Nassr’s press. But Nassr is driving its men forward, up the pitch much more frequently.

The players get back to the pitch after discussion at the break and Rayyan will look to get back into the game sooner than later now. The hosts took the pitch quicker than the Qatari side, which come on minutes later.

Sadio Mane’s stoppage time goal separates the two sides as Al Nassr remains ahead at the break. Ronaldo, despite coming close to scoring at least thrice, has failed to break the duck for himself in this edition of the AFC Champions League Elite.

Trezeguet takes the free-kick which flies over the net, causing no trouble for Al Nassr.

Sultan Al Ghanam delivers a clinical cross from the centre to his left with his right foot and Mane runs in unmarked to head the ball into the right-bottom corner.

Nassr has kept attacking and now it has a goal to its name, from the Senegalese international.

Nassr attacks through a set-piece as its corner kick is hit on a half-volley by Nawaf. Before Ronaldo could get a touch on it, Victor comes to Rayyan’s rescue.

The threat is not over yet as Trezeguet gets the ball in the box and as his shot is blocked by Simakan, Bencharki latches onto the ball and shoots on target. That too, is stopped by Al Nassr.

Talisca looks to have hurt himself with a high elbow from an opponent and receives prompt attention from side’s his medical team. Meanwhile, Aziz tries to start an attack, which ends with a clearance by Nassr.

Mane whips in a right-footer from the left flank and this time Talisca meets it with his head. This time too, the ball flies over the net.

Mane shifts to his left and right and then crosses for Ronaldo on his far post. Ronaldo jumps and gets enough of the ball but fails to keep the ball on target. And he looks up to the sky in despair.

Nawaf tries to make an instant impact, getting the ball along the left flank and cutting in to his right to create something. He is, however, surrounded by three red shirts who get the ball out of danger.

Salem goes down with an injury and Nawaf Al-Boushail replaces him. Salem was already on a yellow card but the change was for a suspected injury as the No. 83 walks off the pitch.

Rayyan tries to attack through crosses, with Hazem Shahata whipping in a cross from the left. Victor, Nassr’s goalkeeper, however, jumps to catch the ball easily.

Guedes gets the ball in the midfield and tries to thread in a through ball, which is spotted and blocked by Mane and Nassr eventually take back possession of the ball.

Salem has been all over the pitch. He gets the ball along the left flank and tries to cross to Ronaldo in the centre. But his angle is too acute and Victor catches the ball to intercept the chance and put it to bed.

Rayyan goes for an attack with Guedes playing a gorgeous one-two in the box and getting it back. He tries to flick it over Krepski, Nassr’s goalkeeper but Salem’s deflection keeps the scores level.

Bencharki tries to create an attack with a through ball into the Nassr box but Al Nassr’s defence track back to deny any margin for error to the visiting side.

Nassr and Rayyan have enjoyed ball possession almost equally so far with the former having 58 per cent and the latter, 49. But the attack largely has been dominated by the hosts. 

So far, two shots have been on target in the match and both have come from Ronaldo. That pretty much sums up the kind of quality the Portugal Euro winner brings to the table as Nassr keeps testing the Rayyan defence.

Bencharki tries to get the ball forward along the right flank and his trailing leg is kicked by Salem Najdi. The referee goes into his pocked to show the Nassr defender a yellow card. It’s the first booking of the match.

Rayyan gets the ball and tries to absorb Nassr’s pressure in its own half. The host’s style has looked a lot like a typical Pioli side, stitching quick passes together with high pressure and trying to punish at the smallest of opportunities.

Four Nassr players swarm into the opposition box with the pass for Ronaldo from Gabriel intercepted. Otavio tries to set up Mane in the penalty-box melee and the Senegalese shoots wide off-target. 

Rayyan tries to break on the counter with Shehata making a forward run along the left flank. Simakan tracks him down and dispossesses him of the ball and the attack ends to nothing.

Ronaldo gets a cross from Gabriel from his right and his left foot guides the ball on target. But a brilliant reflex save by Victor denies Ronaldo his first goal in this AFC Champions League Elite.

Seconds, later, Talisca tries a long-ranger which goes wide off-target.

Otavio tries to dribble past the Rayyan defenders with his witty run but Brenet catches him, with Otavio’s trailing leg catching the opponent’s defender.

Gabriel carries the ball into the final third, tests the right flank and then receives his blocked cross to pass it to Ronaldo. The Portuguese takes a right-footed shot which falls into the gloves of Victor. It was Ronaldo’s first shot and that too, the first shot on target in this match.

In the first 10 minutes of the match, the visitors have not managed to have a single shot. Meanwhile, Nassr has continued asking questions in and around the opponent’s penalty box, with two shots and one big chance.

Gabriel gets the ball along the right flank, tries to float in a cross which is headed away by Rayyan. It is all Nassr at the moment, with yellow shirts in numbers in the Rayyan half.

Talisca tries to set up players in the box with his cross, which after an initial clearance falls for Mane, who is handled well by Saleh.

Ronaldo gets the ball in the midfield, passes to Otavio on his left and the final shot beats the goalkeeper as well as the goal as the ball goes out for a goal-kick.

Rayyan, meanwhile tries to for an attack with Guedes getting the ball in the midfield and trying to march up the pitch. Simakan pulls him down for a free-kick. The kick is cleared and Nassr attacks on the counter.

Ronaldo steals the ball along the left flank and tries to make a run but he is surrounde by three men from the opposition and his attacks is nipped in the bud. 

Talisca’s left-footed hit is deflected off for a corner, which is then cleared by Rayyan’s defence.

Ronaldo starts in a 4-3-3 formation and Nassr is pressing high up the pitch and Saleh staves off the first attack along the left as Rayyan’s goalkeeper controls the ball easily.

The match between Al Nassr and Al Rayyan begins in the Saudi Arabian capital. Nassr, in yellow-and-blue start from left to right while Rayyan, in red-and-black, start from the other end.

The players of both teams are ready in the tunnel and walk out of on the field for the high-voltage clash. Cristiano Ronaldo is starting his first match in the AFC Champions League Elite this season.

Ronaldo is the highest goalscorer in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) with 140 goals and was felicitated by UEFA for the achievement during the UCL draw this season.

However, he has not been able to replicate a similar performance with Al Nassr so far, which reached the quarterfinals last season, losing to Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates 1-3 in penalties.

The Portugal legend missed out on his team’s first match in this edition of the tournament, rebranded as ACL Elite, with a viral infection and he will now be raring to go in a home game in Saudi Arabia.

Victor - Amaro, Garcia, Shehata, Saleh - Trezeguet, Hatem, De Sart, Brenet - Guedes, Bencharki

Cristiano Ronaldo will hope to find his first win in this season of the AFC Champions League Elite (ACL Elite) as his side Al Nassr hosts Al Rayyan at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh on Monday.

Nassr started its ACL Elite campaign with a 1-1 draw with Iraqi side Al Shorta but has won all its next three games since. Its captain Ronaldo has also looked in good touch, scoring twice in three games and will hope to continue his form in Asia as well.