Al-Nassr Crushes Esteghlal to Secure Asian Champions League Quarterfinal Spot
Both Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr and Qatar’s Al-Sadd advanced to the quarterfinals of the AFC Champions League Elite tournament, with the former defeating Iran’s Esteghlal 3-0 and the latter overcoming UAE’s Al-Wasl 3-1 in the Round of 16.
At Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh, star duo Jhon Duran and Cristiano Ronaldo led Al-Nassr to a commanding victory, with the Colombian scoring the first and third goals in the 9th and 84th minutes, while the Portuguese icon netted the second from the penalty spot in the 27th minute.
After a goalless draw in the first leg in Tehran, Al-Nassr came out strong in the return fixture. The hosts opened the scoring just nine minutes in following a costly error by goalkeeper Hossein Hosseini, whose poor clearance fell to new signing Duran. The Colombian forward seized the opportunity, slotting the ball into the net to score his first goal for the Saudi side in the AFC Champions League Elite.
Shortly after, Ronaldo broke through the Iranian defense and cleverly backheeled a pass into the box for Senegalese forward Sadio Mané, who was fouled, prompting the referee to award a penalty. The Portuguese star calmly converted from the spot, sending the keeper the wrong way with a cheeky strike down the middle (27’).
Esteghlal’s troubles deepened in the second half when the referee, after consulting VAR, issued a second yellow card to Mehran Ahmadi for an elbow to defender Mohammed Al-Fatil (45+2). The Iranian side was reduced to ten men for the remainder of the match.
The sending-off paved the way for Al-Nassr to seal the win with a third goal. The move began from midfield and involved Brazilian winger Ângelo Gabriel, who played a precise pass into the box for Duran, who finished clinically into the net (84’), completing Al-Nassr’s dominant performance.
Al-Sadd Mounts a Comeback to Advance
Meanwhile, at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Akram Afif stole the spotlight, orchestrating a dramatic turnaround for Al-Sadd against Al-Wasl. The Emirati side had taken the lead through Fabio Lima in the 10th minute, but Afif assisted the equalizer for Mostafa Tarek Mesh’al (27’) and set up the second goal for Algerian full-back Youcef Atal (30’), before scoring the third himself (37’).
Afif’s heroics ensured qualification for Al-Sadd, who had returned from Dubai with a 1-1 draw in the first leg. Their second-leg victory secured a spot in the tournament’s final stages, which will be held in a centralized format in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from April 25 to May 3.
Al-Wasl nearly repeated the first-leg scenario by scoring an early goal, as Brazilian forward João Pedro’s header was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham within the opening three minutes.
The Emirati side continued their strong start and took the lead when Colombian Alex Pérez delivered a pinpoint pass behind the defense, which Lima slotted into the net (10’).
However, Al-Sadd responded emphatically under Afif’s leadership. The Qatari star showcased his dribbling skills, weaving past multiple defenders before laying off a perfect assist for Mostafa Tarek, who made no mistake in equalizing (27’).
Shortly after, Afif led another swift counterattack, setting up Atal, who dribbled past multiple defenders before firing a powerful shot that deflected off a defender and found the net, giving the hosts the lead (30’).
Afif then capped off his dazzling display with a stunning goal from an indirect free kick, curling the ball beautifully into the top left corner past goalkeeper Khalid Al-Sanani (37’).
In the second half, Al-Wasl dominated possession and pressed for a way back into the game. However, they were repeatedly denied by the outstanding Barsham, who produced crucial saves, including stopping a Pedro header (57’) and a fierce strike from substitute Caio Canedo (79’).
