Joao Felix inspires Al Nassr’s 6-2 demolition of Pakhtakor in AFC Champions League Elite

Al Nassr recorded their second win in the AFC Champions League Elite with a commanding 6-2 victory away to Pakhtakor on Monday, as Joao Felix produced an outstanding performance in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Portugal forward scored twice and set up two more goals as Al Nassr turned their attacking superiority into a comprehensive victory in the fourth round of the competition. The result followed the postponement of their match against UAE club Al Wasl.

Felix opened the way for the visitors in the 15th minute when he found Abdullah Al-Hamdan with an expertly weighted pass. The Saudi Arabia striker finished emphatically to give Al Nassr the lead.

Just two minutes later, Felix added a goal of his own. He outplayed the Pakhtakor defence inside the penalty area before placing the ball into the net to put Al Nassr 2-0 ahead.

The Portuguese forward struck again in the 32nd minute, completing his brace after being played in by Senegal international Sadio Mane. Felix then supplied another assist eight minutes after half-time, delivering a precise corner which Abdulah Al-Amri headed home in the 53rd minute.

Australia manager Ange Postecoglou, who coaches Al Nassr, made several changes during the second half. One of his substitutes, Abdulrahman Ghareeb, extended the lead in the 62nd minute after receiving a pass from Mane.

Al Nassr continued to threaten and completed the scoring in the 79th minute. Angelo Gabriel finished after a fine individual contribution from Al-Hamdan, sealing a 6-2 success and a six-goal haul for the visitors.

The result moved Al Nassr on to six points in the AFC Champions League Elite after two victories. Their emphatic performance also provided an important boost to their progress in the continental competition.

Felix has now been directly involved in eight goals across his past two matches. He created four goals during Al Nassr’s victory over Al-Kholood in the 12th round of the Roshn Saudi League before scoring twice and providing two assists against Pakhtakor.

That means he has registered four goal contributions in two consecutive matches for the second time in succession and the fourth time in his professional career. His display in Uzbekistan further underlined his importance as one of the main attacking outlets in Postecoglou’s side.