Al Ain Dominates AFC Champions League with Perfect Record; Al Nassr Secures Massive Win Without Ronaldo

Al Ain continues its flawless performance in the AFC Champions League group stage, securing another significant victory against Saudi Arabian opposition. Following their commanding 4-0 win over Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr in September, Vladimir Ivic's squad has added victories against Al Quwa Al Jawiya and Tractor. On Monday, they defeated Al Ittihad 4-1 at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, reinforcing their top position.

Paraguay playmaker Kaku expressed his satisfaction with the three points, as reported by the Saudi Press Agency. Al Ain now leads the West Asia standings with 12 points, while Al Ittihad remains in 10th place with four points.

The UAE champions withstood early pressure, taking the lead in the 17th minute when Georgios Giakoumakis' diving header was parried by Predrag Rajkovic, allowing Kaku to score from a tight angle. Al Ain extended their lead just before halftime when Rafael Rodrigues' cross-cum-shot found the net past Rajkovic. Al Ittihad showed a strong start to the second half, with Al Ain goalkeeper Khalid Eisa making crucial saves against long-range attempts from Dion Lopy and Ahmed Al Julaydan. However, Marwan Al Sahafi reduced the deficit in the 53rd minute after receiving a pass from Houssem Aouar. Al Ain's third goal came somewhat fortuitously when Houssine Rahimi's cross deflected off Jan-Carlo Simic, looping over Rajkovic. Matias Palacios sealed the victory with a 90th-minute penalty.

Coach Ivic commented on the match, stating, “We played a good match and managed to deal with the different technical circumstances of the game. Al Ittihad started the match with strong pressure during the first 10 to 15 minutes and played well.”

No Ronaldo, No Problem for Al Nassr

Despite the absence of captain Cristiano Ronaldo, Al Nassr thrashed Pakhtakor 6-2, marking their second group-stage win. Ronaldo was rested for the trip to Uzbekistan along with Kingsley Coman and Mohamed Simakan. Al Nassr established a 3-1 lead by halftime, with Abdullah Al Hamdan opening the scoring, followed by a brace from Joao Felix. Flamarion scored for Pakhtakor before the break, but Al Nassr sealed the win with goals from Abdulelah Al Amri, Abdulrahman Ghareeb, and Angelo. Dostonbek Khamdamov's late goal was merely a consolation for the Uzbek side.

This victory marked Al Nassr's largest AFC Champions League win, surpassing previous 5-1 scorelines. Coach Ange Postecoglou dismissed suggestions that Ronaldo's absence influenced the high goal count, stating, “It has nothing to do with that. In the previous game, with Ronaldo, we scored five goals and he scored a hat-trick.” This was Al Nassr's second win in three matches, with their game against Al Wasl postponed due to Houthi attacks on Riyadh.

Al Qadsiah Secures Dominant Victory

Al Qadsiah climbed to third in the standings with eight points after a resounding 5-0 away win against Al Gharafa. Julian Quinones scored a first-half brace, adding to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat's early goal. Yasse Alshahrani and Mohammed Al Qahtani also found the net. Coach Brendan Rodgers praised the team's performance, saying, “We started excellently and imposed great control on the match.” Quinones added, “The secret to this big victory is that we play as one family.”

Defending champions Al Ahli drew 0-0 with Al Sadd in Qatar.