Al-Nassr, Led by Ronaldo, Beat 10-Man Persepolis 2-0 in ACL Opener

 Al-Nassr, Led by Ronaldo, Beat 10-Man Persepolis 2-0 in ACL Opener

Al-Nassr, Led by Ronaldo, Beat 10-Man Persepolis 2-0 in ACL Opener(Image-Getty)

Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr Triumphs Over 10-Man Persepolis in Asian Champions League Opener

Al-Nassr, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, capitalized on their numerical advantage against 10-man Persepolis in Tehran's Azadi Stadium, securing a 2-0 win to kick off their Asian Champions League campaign.

The turning point of the match came when Milad Sarlak of Persepolis was shown a red card for a second bookable offense, leaving the Iranian side a man down after seven minutes into the second half when he stepped on Ronaldo's foot during a midfield battle.

Ten minutes later, former Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo assisted Marcelo Brozovic, leading to Abdulrahman Ghareeb's deflected strike, opening the scoring for Al-Nassr in the Group E clash.

In the 72nd minute, Mohammed Qassem extended Al-Nassr's lead with a powerful shot from a tight angle, sealing the victory over Persepolis.

Reflecting on the match, Al-Nassr forward Sadio Mane commented, "It was a good game, even though the first half was a little bit difficult for both teams. We played well in the second half, created some chances, and scored two goals. I think we deserved to win tonight."

The game was played in an empty Azadi Stadium due to a ban imposed on Persepolis by the Asian Football Confederation two years ago, preventing thousands of fans from attending, despite Ronaldo's presence.

With this victory, Al-Nassr leads their group, with a two-point advantage over Al-Duhail, coached by Hernan Crespo, who played to a 0-0 draw against Tajikistan's FC Istiklol.

In Group A, Al Ain, led by Togo international Kodjo Laba, secured a 3-0 win over Uzbekistan's Pakhtakor. Laba scored twice and played a role in the third goal, with Al Ain quickly taking the lead in the 11th minute.

Al Ain now shares the top spot in their group with Turkmenistan's FC Ahal, who secured a surprising 1-0 win against Saudi Arabia's Al Fayha, thanks to Elman Tagayew's long-range second-half strike.