Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane were on target as Al-Nassr edged out Qatari side Al-Rayyan 2-1 in the AFC Champions League.
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Ronaldo on target for Al-NassrMane opened the scoring for his clubAl-Nassr edged out Al-RayyanFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportTELL ME MORE
Al-Nassr were the more dominant side right from the off and were close to breaking the deadlock within the first 15 minutes of the match. Cristiano Ronaldo got the first opportunity to score the opener in the 10th minute as he found a pass from Angelo Gabriel and attempted a right-footed shot on goal, however it failed to trouble Paulo Victor.
Three minutes later, the Portuguese star possibly squandered the easiest chance of the game when he received a pin-point cross from Angelo. The veteran forward attempted a first-time shot from close range, only to see Victor stopping the ball yet again.
The Saudi Arabian side finally broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time when an unmarked Sadio Made found the back of the net with a header from Sultan Al Ghanam's cross.
At the start of the second half, Ronaldo found the back of the net only to see his goal getting cancelled due to an offside after a lengthy VAR check.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United star finally had his moment in the 76th minute when he received a pass from Abdulrahman Ghareeb on the right side of the box. The Portuguese comfortably put the ball into the back of the net with a left-footed shot to double his team's tally. It was also the attacker's seventh goal in eighth appearances across all competitions.
The visitors pulled one back towards the end of the match as Roger Guedes scored a consolation goal for the visitors from Achraf Bencharki's assist.
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Former Liverpool star Mane stole the show for the Saudi Pro League outfit as his first-half strike set the tone of the game in his club's favour. He remained a livewire on the pitch until the 70th minute of the match when he was replaced by Abdulrahman Ghareeb.
THE BIG LOSER
Al-Rayyan defenders had quite a few nervy moments in the first half of the game as Ronaldo came close to scoring on several occasions. However, they committed the most costly mistake of the game at the stroke of half-time when they left a player of Sadio Mane's stature unmarked in the penalty box which led to the opening goal of the match.
AFPWHAT COMES NEXT?
After registering their maiden win in the AFC Champions League, Stefano Pioli's side will be in action again on Saturday as they take on Al-Orobah at home in the Saudi Pro League.