Al-Ain Thrash Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr 4-0 in Asian Champions League Elite
Al-Nassr’s Asian Champions League Elite campaign began with a damaging 4-0 defeat at Al-Ain, as Cristiano Ronaldo’s side were swept aside by the UAE club on Tuesday.
Houssine Rahimi put Al-Ain ahead after 25 minutes and added his second soon after the hour. His brother Soufiane then made it 3-0 with 18 minutes remaining before creating the final goal for Georgios Giakoumakis.
Quick facts
- Al-Ain 4-0 Al-Nassr in the opening Asian Champions League Elite round.
- Houssine Rahimi scored twice, with Soufiane Rahimi adding a goal and an assist.
- Georgios Giakoumakis completed the scoring for the home side.
- Ronaldo was denied late on when Khalid Eisa saved his free-kick.
- Al-Nassr have won one of their past four matches in all competitions.
Ronaldo, 41, was unable to influence the contest as he continued his pursuit of 980 career goals. His best late opportunity came from a free-kick, but Al-Ain goalkeeper Khalid Eisa dealt with the attempt without difficulty.
The result was Ronaldo’s largest defeat since joining Saudi football and his heaviest reverse in any competition since Manchester United lost 4-0 to Brentford in August 2022.
Al-Nassr coach Ange Postecoglou accepted responsibility after the final whistle, saying his players had given all they could and should not carry the blame for the display. The former Tottenham manager offered a stark assessment of the team performance, describing Al-Nassr collectively as poor.
The Saudi champions now face an early test of their recovery after a sequence that has brought only one win from four games. Their continental challenge has begun with a substantial goal-difference deficit as well as a defeat.
Other Saudi sides experienced varied opening results in the competition. Al-Hilal beat Qatar’s Al-Gharafa 2-1 through a Ruben Neves penalty and a Sergej Milinkovic-Savic goal, with each team finishing with 10 men.
Al-Qadsiah also opened with a 2-1 victory over Al-Wasl of the United Arab Emirates. Reigning champions Al-Ahli drew 1-1 with Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor, while Al-Ittihad were held by the same scoreline against Qatar’s Al-Shamal.
