Ronaldo’s Al Nassr Win Asian CL Opener Despite Being Down a Man
Cristiano Ronaldo achieved a remarkable feat during Al-Nassr’s victory in their AFC Champions League match on Tuesday night.
The Portuguese football icon played the entire 90 minutes before being substituted in added time in his team’s 2-0 triumph over Persepolis.
Even though he didn’t score during the match, the 38-year-old still managed to set an impressive record yet again.
With the win alongside the Saudi giants, Cristiano Ronaldo achieved an extraordinary milestone – he remained unbeaten in 1000 games, combining both his club and international career.
Over the course of these matches, Ronaldo’s teams secured victory in 776 of them and played to a draw in 224, making for an undeniably impressive record.
In a match held at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium on Tuesday night, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr capitalized on their numerical advantage against a 10-man Persepolis.
The turning point came when the hosts had Milad Sarlak sent off just seven minutes into the second half. Sarlak was shown a red card after stepping on Ronaldo’s foot during a midfield tussle.
Ten minutes later, the former Real Madrid striker played a pivotal role in setting up Marcelo Brozovic, who ventured into the penalty area, ultimately unlocking the resilient hosts. Abdulrahman Ghareeb seized the opportunity, scoring the opener with a deflected strike from the Croatian’s cutback.
Al-Nassr extended their lead in the 72nd minute as Mohammed Qassem unleashed a powerful shot into the top corner of Alireza Beiranvand’s net from a tight angle on the left, sealing the victory.
Sadio Mane, the Al-Nassr forward, commented on the game, saying, “It was a good game, even though the first half was a little challenging for both teams. We performed well in the second half, created some opportunities, and scored two goals. I believe we deserved the win tonight.”
Remarkably, the match took place in an empty Azadi Stadium, as a ban imposed on Persepolis by the Asian Football Confederation two years ago was enforced. This meant that thousands of fans, who have been avidly following Ronaldo since his arrival in Tehran, were unable to attend.
Al-Nassr’s victory positioned them at the top of their group, with a two-point lead over Hernan Crespo’s Al-Duhail. The Qatari club was held to a 0-0 draw by Tajikistan’s FC Istiklol in Dushanbe.
