Rahimi brothers strike as Al-Ain hand Al-Nassr ACLE thumping
DUBAI: Saudi Pro League champions Al-Nassr suffered a 4-0 thumping at the hands of Al-Ain in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday as Cristiano Ronaldo and his team mates made the worst possible start to their Asian Champions League Elite challenge.
On Tuesday, Al-Nassr, the reigning champions of the Saudi Pro League, faced a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Al-Ain in the United Arab Emirates during their Asian Champions League Elite match. Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates struggled to find their form, starting poorly in the Asian competition. Houssine Rahimi of Al-Ain scored twice, putting his team ahead before his brother Soufiane added a third goal.
Giorgos Giakoumakis sealed the victory with a fourth goal in the 85th minute. Giakoumakis praised his team's maturity throughout the game, highlighting their ability to score goals and secure a significant win.
In the league phase opener, Al-Hilal secured a narrow 2-1 victory over Qatar's Al-Gharafa. The Saudi champions went ahead in stoppage time through Ruben Neves' penalty, and Giorgos Giakoumakis added another goal in the second half to secure their win. The match was marred by suspensions as Crysencio Summerville and Ismael Bennacer received red cards due to a heated altercation.
The top four teams from the expanded 16-team league phase will advance to the knockout stages in March, with the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final set to be played in Saudi Arabia in April and May.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
