Ronaldo Goals Fires Al Nassr’s to ACL Knockout Advantage; Toney Scores for Al Ahli. Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t slowing down despite turning 40 in months. Football has witnessed several talents, such as Brazil’s Pele, Maradona, Delima Ronaldo, and Zidane, to name but a few. But CR7, as he is fondly called, is still doing what he’s been doing for more than 2 decades and still counting.
Considered wildly by football fans and enthusiasts as the GOAT of the sport, he is now getting closer to achieving his goal of scoring 1000 career goals. He left Europe for Asia to continue doing what he is best known for.
Ronaldo Goals Fires Al Nassr’s to ACL Knockout Advantage; Toney Scores for Al Ahli
After scoring a goal this weekend for his team, the Portuguese goal-scoring machine Cristiano Ronaldo scores twice as Al Nassr secures a win over Al Gharafa in the Asian Champions League at Al-Bayt Stadium on Monday.
In the first half, Ronaldo shows signs of frustration but heads in the opening goal just seconds into the second half, putting his team in the lead. Twelve minutes later, Angelo Gabriel added a second goal after rounding goalkeeper Sergio Rico. Ronaldo strikes again in the 64th minute, securing Al Nassr’s third goal. Despite a late goal from Joselu for the home side, Al Nassr finishes the match with a convincing victory.
With this win, Al Nassr now has 13 points from their first five games to strengthen their position in the group. They aim to extend their winning streak when they face Al Sadd, a Qatari team, next Tuesday. Meanwhile, Al Gharafa will go up against Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia in their next fixture.
With the 2 goals Cristiano scored, he now has a total of 913 career goals, with his greatest rival, Lionel Messi, the closest with 849 career goals. Let’s see how many goals he will be able to add before he retires from the game.
Toney Scores for Al Ahli
While many would want to call Monday a CR7 night, the former English Premier League man who swapped Brentford colors for Saudi Pro League side Al Ahli was also in the spotlight in a remarkable way.
In another match on Monday, former Brentford striker Ivan Toney comes off the bench to score twice and lead Al Ahli to a 2-1 win over Al Ain. This victory guarantees Al Ahli a spot in the knockout rounds and puts the defending champions, Al Ain, in danger of elimination.
Toney substitutes for Feras Al-Brikan in the 65th minute at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium. Within four minutes, he scores two goals, helping Al Ahli secure their fifth consecutive win in the tournament. Toney’s first goal comes with a header from Riyad Mahrez’s free kick in the 70th minute. Four minutes later, Toney and Mahrez combine again, with Toney sliding in his second goal to double the lead.
Al Ain, the defending champions, struggles throughout the competition, earning only one point from four matches before hosting Al Ahli. Alejandro Romero scores for Al Ain three minutes into injury time, offering some hope for a comeback, but it is too late.
Al Ahli holds on to their lead and climbs to the top of the western standings with three games left in the league phase. They sit three points ahead of their compatriots, Al Hilal, who will play against Qatar’s Al Sadd on Tuesday. On the other hand, Al Ain remains at the bottom of the table with just one point and faces an uphill battle to qualify for the next stage.
Teams in the top eight from the 12-team leagues in West and East Asia progress to the knockout rounds, scheduled to begin in March. With this win, Al Ahli confirms their place in the next round to display their strong form in this year’s competition.