- Cristiano Ronaldo’s late goal secured a 1-0 win for Al-Nassr against Al-Fayha in the Asian Champions League.
- Harry Kewell’s Yokohama F Marinos drew 2-2 with Bangkok United in his coaching debut.
- Jeonbuk Hyundai gained a 2-0 first-leg advantage over Pohang Steelers in an all-South Korean clash.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a crucial goal for Al-Nassr, securing a 1-0 victory against Al-Fayha in the Asian Champions League last 16 clash. The match took place in Riyadh on Wednesday.
Ronaldo, the former Real Madrid and Manchester United player, broke the deadlock nine minutes before the end of the game. He received a pass from Marcelo Brozovic and volleyed it past Al-Fayha’s goalkeeper, Vladimir Stojkovic, securing the win for Al-Nassr.
The first leg of the match was tightly contested, with both teams struggling to score. Ronaldo had a chance in the first half, but Stojkovic denied him with a close-range save. In the second half, Ronaldo’s header was also stopped by the Serbian goalkeeper before Anderson Talisca’s attempt missed narrowly.
However, as the game approached its end, Ronaldo provided an assist to Brozovic, who returned the ball to Ronaldo inside the box. Ronaldo’s powerful strike found the top corner of the net, sealing the victory for Al-Nassr. The teams will meet again in the second leg in Riyadh next Wednesday, with a spot in the quarter-finals at stake.
In another match, Al-Ain from the United Arab Emirates played a goalless draw against Nasaf from Uzbekistan at the Markaziy Stadium in Qarshi. The closest chance of the game came from Soufiane Rahimi, whose curling free kick hit the crossbar in first-half stoppage time.
Harry Kewell, the coach of Yokohama F Marinos, had a disappointing start to his tenure as his team drew 2-2 with Bangkok United. Kewell took over as coach after Kevin Muscat resigned in 2023. Marinos took a two-goal lead with goals from Elber and Kota Watanabe in the first leg at Thammasat Stadium. However, Bangkok United fought back, with Nitipong Selanon scoring before Mahmoud Eid’s stoppage-time header leveled the score. Marinos’ Ken Matsubara was sent off in the closing moments of the match. The teams will face each other again in the return leg in Yokohama next Wednesday.
In an all-South Korean clash, Jeonbuk Hyundai defeated Pohang Steelers 2-0 in the first leg at Jeonju World Cup Stadium. Goals from Hernandes and Ahn Hyeon-beom gave Dan Petrescu’s team the advantage.
On Tuesday, Kawasaki Frontale secured a narrow 3-2 win over Shandong Taishan from the Chinese Super League in the first leg. The teams will meet again in Japan for the second leg.