Cristiano Ronaldo can take a major step towards the Asian Champions League elite title in Iran on Monday, though Al-Nassr is not the only Saudi Arabian club in contention for the big prize.
Ronaldo has yet to win a major trophy since signing for the Riyadh club in December 2022 and victory over Esteghlal of Tehran in the two-legged Round of 16 tie would mean a place in the last eight for Al-Nassr.
The 40-year-old has won five UEFA Champions Leagues while Al-Nassr has yet to win one in Asia.
Domestically Al-Nassr is off the pace and its latest setback — a 2-1 defeat at Al-Orubah on Friday — saw it slip into fourth in the Saudi Pro League and increase the pressure on coach Stefano Pioli.
“We had many chances but could not score,” said Pioli. “We have a lot of games in a short period of time and only had two days rest before this game and now we have to get ready for another one in the Asian Champions League.”
Ronaldo has been in good form in Asia scoring six goals in the group stage, helping Al-Nassr finish third in a 12-team group behind two other Saudi Arabian clubs.
Al Hilal seeking fifth ACL title
Nassr’s Riyadh rival Al-Hilal won the group stage and continues its quest for a record fifth continental title against Pakhatkor of Uzbekistan.
With talent such as Joao Cancelo and Ruben Neves of Portugal as well as Brazilian stars Marcos Leonardo, Kaio Cesar and Malcom, Hilal is the strong favorite to beat the Central Asian team who won only one of eight games in the group stage.
Al-Ahli finished second in the group and meets Qatar’s Al-Rayyan. Former English Premier League star Ivan Toney in fine form as he scored a hat trick on Friday as Al-Ahli won 3-2 at Al-Hilal.
Elsewhere, two-time champion Al-Sadd of Qatar faces Al-Wasl from the United Arab Emirates.
Japanese clubs rising in the east
None of the eight teams in the eastern zone, the tournament is divided into two geographic zones until the quarterfinal stage, have won the tournament before.
The three Japanese teams strolled through the group stage however. Yokohama F. Marinos will meet former coach Kevin Muscat, now in charge of Shanghai Port. Kawasaki Frontale travels to Shanghai Shenhua and Vissel Kobe hosts Gwangju FC, South Korea’s sole representative. The remaining tie is a Southeast Asian affair as Buriram United of Thailand meets Malaysia’s Johor Darul Tazim.
The final will be held in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah on May 4.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
By John Duerden, The Associated Press
