Al-Nassr 4-2 Shabab Al-Ahli: Cristiano Ronaldo’s side dramatically reach Asian Champions League group stage by scoring THREE final goals in their qualifying game
- Al-Nassr defeated Shabab Al-Ahli 4–2 in the Asian Champions League play-offs
- Cristiano Ronaldo’s side will now compete in the group stage of the competition
- WATCH: ‘It All Begins’ – Episode 2 – The brand new football show from Mail Sport
Cristiano Ronaldo will enter the Asian Champions League proper after Al-Nassr made a remarkable turnaround by beating UAE’s Shabab Al-Ahli 4-2 in their qualifying match.
Despite finishing second in the Saudi Pro League last season, Al-Nassr failed to get one of the three spots in the division to progress directly to the group stage of the continental competition – missing out on Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal and Al Fayha.
They faced Shabab Al-Ahli, who won the league title in the UAE, having beaten Al-Wehdat of Jordan in the previous qualifying round.
Al-Nassr got off to a good start at Al-Awwal Park, with Anderson Talisca opening the scoring after just eleven minutes when he was turned on by new recruit Marcelo Brozovic.
Despite dominating the game with 73 per cent possession, they soon fell behind, with two goals from Yahya Alghassani either side of half-time putting the visitors ahead.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr side dramatically defeated Shabab Al-Ahli 4-2 in the Asian Champions League play-off to reach the group stage of the continental competition
It looked like they went out at one point, with Al-Nassr trailing 2–1 after 88 minutes
Ronaldo seemed visibly frustrated at times during the game in which he failed to score
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Ronaldo appeared to be visibly frustrated at times during the game as he protested to the referees after receiving an appeal for the penalty.
It looked like the Portuguese superstar would be absent from the Champions League this season with his side still trailing after 88 minutes, but teammate Sultan Al-Ghannam equalized in dramatic fashion to keep his side’s hopes alive .
The game started seven minutes of stoppage time and looked set to go into extra time, before Brazilian midfielder Talisca scored again after 95 minutes to put Al-Nassr ahead.
Brozovic then added the icing on the cake, with Ronaldo putting the Croat on the exit two minutes after Talisca’s finish, thrilling the home fans and sending his side into the group stage.
The result was a huge relief for Luis Castro’s side, who have had a disastrous start to the campaign.
Ronaldo and Co have started the league season with two losses – to Al-Ettifaq and Al-Taawoun – and are one of four teams yet to pick up a point, despite significant investment over the summer, with the likes of Sadio Mane, Brozovic, Otavio , Alex Telles and Seko Fofana arrive.
They now eagerly await the draw for the Champions League group stage and hope that this result will boost their league form.
Sultan Al-Ghannam equalized late, before Al-Nassr added two more goals in extra time
New signing Marcelo Brozovic scored Al-Nassr’s fourth goal in the 97th minute
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