Cristiano Ronaldo and Jhon Duran deliver the blow! The lethal Al-Nassr duo defeat 10-man Esteghlal to clinch a spot in the AFC Champions League quarter-finals.
Al-Nassr shone at Al-Awwal Park, securing a 3-0 victory in the second leg of their AFC Champions League round of 16 matchup against Esteghlal.
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Cristiano Ronaldo’s pursuit of his first trophy with Al-Nassr has yet to bear fruit this season, as the team is nearly out of the Saudi Pro League title race and has already been eliminated from the King Cup of Champions. As a result, Al-Nassr has turned their attention to the AFC Champions League and faced Esteghlal in the second leg of their last-16 tie at Al-Awwal Park, following a goalless draw in Iran the previous week.
Al-Nassr was expected to dominate Esteghlal, who have been struggling this season. The hosts began the match aggressively with a high press, taking the lead in the ninth minute after Esteghlal goalkeeper Seyed Hossein Hosseini’s clearance went straight to Jhon Duran. The Colombian chipped the keeper from the edge of the box, and despite Hosseini getting a fingertip on the ball, it still found the back of the net.
Esteghlal’s troubles continued as Roozbeh Cheshmi fouled Sadio Mane in the box following a threatening backheel pass from Ronaldo, setting up a penalty that Ronaldo converted to double Al-Nassr’s lead. The situation worsened for Esteghlal in first-half injury time when winger Mehran Ahmadi received a second yellow card for elbowing Mohammed Al-Fatil.
Pioli’s team took full control in the second half, but missed two clear chances to extend their lead in the 49th minute. Despite his earlier mistake, Esteghlal’s keeper Hosseini was impressive in the second half, making several saves to keep his side in the game.
However, Esteghlal’s defense was breached again when Duran latched onto a perfect through-ball from Angelo, and Hosseini couldn’t prevent Duran’s powerful shot. The victory secured Al-Nassr’s place in the AFC Champions League quarter-finals.
THE MVP
Marcelo Brozovic delivered one of his standout performances of the season at Al-Awwal Park against Esteghlal, controlling the midfield and orchestrating much of Al-Nassr’s offensive play. The Croatian midfielder registered six key passes and completed over 100 passes throughout the match. Moreover, Brozovic was effective in disrupting several of Esteghlal’s counter-attacks before they could gain momentum.
THE BIG LOSER
Esteghlal can only blame themselves for their defeat to Al-Nassr, as the Iranian team delivered a lackluster performance, allowing Al-Nassr to control possession and repeatedly pass the ball around their box. The main errors came from two individual mistakes, and Ahmadi’s red card further dashed their chances.
WHAT COMES NEXT?
Al-Nassr will resume Saudi Pro League play on Friday, March 14, when they face Al Kholood, aiming to break their two-game winless streak in the league and continue their pursuit of Al-Qadsiyah for the last AFC Champions League spot.
