Al Ain stun Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr 4-0 in AFC Champions League Elite return

Al Ain marked Al Nassr’s return to the AFC Champions League Elite with a resounding 4-0 victory, ruining Cristiano Ronaldo’s comeback to the continent’s leading competition at a packed Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium.

Al Nassr had hoped to make a strong start after returning to the tournament, having played in the AFC Champions League Two last season. However, their plans quickly unravelled as Al Ain punished defensive mistakes and controlled the game from start to finish.

The home side took the lead after 25 minutes when Hussein Rahimi capitalised on a serious error by Saad Al Nasser. The Al Nassr left-back had time and space but misplaced his pass, allowing Rahimi to seize possession and shoot through Nawaf Al-Aqidi’s legs.

Al Nassr struggled to contain Al Ain’s movement, with the hosts repeatedly finding room behind the visitors’ defence. Rahimi doubled the advantage in the 63rd minute after making an intelligent run and exploiting another gap in Al Nassr’s back line.

The Rahimi family’s contribution continued nine minutes later when Sufian Rahimi scored Al Ain’s third goal. The Moroccan brothers had now scored the first three goals of the match, as Al Nassr’s defence continued to collapse and failed to deal with the movement of the UAE side’s attackers.

Al Nassr attempted to find a route back into the match, but Al Ain remained the more dangerous and organised team. Their chances of reducing the deficit were also frustrated by goalkeeper Khalid Eisa, who made several important saves to preserve the hosts’ advantage.

Al Ain completed an emphatic night in the 85th minute. Giakoumakis finished from a pass by Rahimi to make it 4-0 and underline the extent of Al Nassr’s problems at both ends of the pitch.

The result gave Al Ain a statement victory over one of Asia’s prominent clubs, while Al Nassr began their campaign in the continent’s stronger competition with a heavy defeat. Ronaldo and his team-mates were unable to match the intensity of the hosts, who maintained their authority throughout the evening at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium.