Cristiano Ronaldo made a winning debut in the Asian Champions League as he helped Al Nassr to a 2-0 win against 10-man Persepolis in Iran on Tuesday evening. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who has five UEFA Champions League titles to his name, led the Saudi Arabian side to three points in Group E. The match at Azadi Stadium in Tehran was played without fans after the Asian The Football Confederation (AFC) enforced a one-match ban on Persepolis supporters dating back to 2021.
That helped Nassr, who scored both goals in the second half against the two-time number two, clearly thanks to an own goal from Danial Esmaeilifar and a great goal from defender Mohammed Qassem.
It was the first time a Saudi club had played in Iran since 2016, after the AFC announced a “groundbreaking agreement” between the two countries’ federations earlier this month.
Iran and Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties seven years ago, meaning Asian Champions League matches have been played on neutral grounds ever since.
The 38-year-old Ronaldo was closely involved throughout and came close twice in the first half.
His first chance – a powerful header from close range – went straight to Persepolis goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand, causing Ronaldo to hit the post in frustration.
Nassr’s hopes grew significantly at the start of the second half, when Persepolis midfielder Milad Sarlak was shown a second yellow card, this time for appearing to stamp on Ronaldo’s boot.
Replays showed it was unintentional and contact was minimal.
Ronaldo played a key role in Nassr’s opener just after the hour mark, with the Portuguese initiating the move that led to Abdulrahman Ghareeb’s blocked shot hitting Persepolis full-back Esmaeilifar and into the net.
Ten minutes later, Nassr left-back Mohammed Qassem broke down the left side and fired his shot high past Beiranvand to double the visitors’ lead and secure the points.
– Incheon victory –
In the group’s other match, Iran’s Istiklol were held to a goalless draw by Qatari heavyweights Al Duhail in Dushanbe.
In Group A, 2003 winners Al Ain recorded an impressive 3-0 win at Pakhtakor in Tashkent, while Turkmen side Ahal defeated Saudi opponents Al Fayha 1-0 at home to record just a second victory in the competition.
On the East Asian side of the draw, South Korea’s Incheon United opened their Group G account with a 4-2 win over J.League champions Yokohama F Marinos in Japan.
As a result, Incheon is three points behind Chinese Super League side Shandong Taishan, who had to work for their 3-1 win in Manila over Kaya-FC Iloilo of the Philippines.
In Group I, South Korean champions and 2020 Asian Champions League winners Ulsan Hyundai beat Thailand’s BG Pathum United 3-1 at home, while Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale hosted Johor Darul Ta’zim 1-0 defeated in Malaysia.
The group stage, which this year returned to a home-and-away format for the first time since early 2020, will run until mid-December, with the ten pool winners and the six best second-placed teams advancing to the knockout rounds.
That starts in February and the final takes place over two stages in May.
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