The Portuguese forward’s brace hurled Al Nassr to a 3-1 win over Qatar’s Al Gharafa.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr booked a spot in the AFC Champions League Elite’s knockout stages with a 3-1 win over Qatar’s Al Gharafa in Al Khor.
The Portuguese forward made up for the first half’s missed chances with two goals in the second period during a night the Al Bayt Stadium roared every time he touched the ball.
19-year-old Brazilian winger, Angelo, found the net between Ronaldo’s goals, taking the tie out of Al Gharafa’s reach before Spanish forward Joselu pulled one back for the home side.
Al Nassr have now won four of their five games in Asia this season, joining fellow Saudi side Al Ahli in securing a round of 16 berth without a defeat.
“Make Us Proud” read the Al Gharafa fans’ tifo that unfurled before kickoff, they came into the tie hoping to witness the side replicate their memorable 4-2 win against defending Asian champions Al Ain at the same venue.
Despite holding on well against the star-studded Al Nassr attack that had Ronaldo and former Liverpool winger Sadio Mane take charge, Al Gharafa succumbed to an upbeat start to the second half.
Earlier, the Doha-based side managed to put the opposition attack at bay, especially, Ronaldo himself.
During a night that was meant to be about him, it was the Portuguese star who took the first shot five minutes into the game, albeit a feeble one that barely broke Al Gharafa goalkeeper Sergio Rico’s sweat.
Al Gharafa came close to scoring when full-back Wajdi Kechrida advanced to the final third to force a save at Al Nassr’s near post.
On the other side, playmaker Yacine Brahimi had his flashes of brilliance with slick footwork, although it barely yielded anything in the final third in the opening minutes.
The Algerian took matters into his own hands in the 25th minute, picking up the ball on the edge of the penalty area to take a shot at the goal, only to be blocked by the Saudi side’s center-back Mohamed Simakan.
In what could have been the first half’s defining moment, Matias Nani’s tackle on Mane — initially deemed a penalty — was chalked off by the VAR, to the disappointment of the away fans.
Despite getting to the end of multiple chances, three of them headers, Ronaldo’s biggest chance came at the stroke of halftime. The former Real Madrid star’s shot was deflected off-target by Kechrida, who did just enough to get his boot on the way.
The fans’ wait, however, did not last long as Ronaldo leapt to meet Sultan Al-Ghannam’s cross just a minute into the second half to open the scoring.
The goal then did its damage to the Al Gharafa defence as Al Nass frequently found themselves getting more chances in dangerous areas.
It was young winger Angelo who doubled the lead in the 64th minute, scoring his first goal in the ACL Elite, finishing a quick one-two combination.
Ronaldo then sent the crowd into pandemonium again, this time finishing at the far post after being given enough space to beat a defender and shoot.
Joselu pulled one back for the home side, finishing a rebound off Al Nassr’s shot-stopper Bento, just a minute after Ronaldo was taken off by Al Nassr head coach Stefan Pioli in the 74th minute.
Al Nassr then saw the lead off, thwarting Al Gharafa head coach Pedro Martins’ effort to rescue the tie by throwing experienced forward Mohammed Muntari into the mix.
The defeat sees Al Gharafa sit at the eighth position, on the edge of the qualification spots with more than half of the campaign now done.
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