Match Report!
Cristiano Ronaldo bagged a brace as Al-Nassr won 3-1 against Al-Gharafa in an AFC Champions League group stage fixture at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar on Monday.
FULL-TIME!
Cristiano Ronaldo’s brace and a goal by Angelo helps Al Nassr clinch a 3-1 win against Al Gharafa in their AFC Champions League Elite clash at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar.
After the win, Al Nassr is second in the Group B points table with 13 points from five clashes.
90+3’ GHA 1-3 NAS
Down to 10 men, Al Gharafa knows that an already difficult task has become close to impossible, which is why, there isn’t much urgency from the home team to press Al Nassr.
90’ GHA 1-3 NAS
Seven minutes added at the end of the second-half!
89’ GHA 1-3 NAS
Al Nassr sub: IN- Al-Najdi OUT- Ghanam
87’ GHA 1-3 NAS
Al Gharafa sub: IN- Traore OUT- Brahimi
86’ GHA 1-3 NAS
Mane takes the freekick after having won it. He goes for the lobbed effort, prioritising placement over power but fails to hit the target. He manages to clear the wall but the ball does not dip enough to trouble the Gharafa keeper.
November 25, 2024 23:18
RED CARD
84’ GHA 1-3 NAS
RED CARD - Sano brings down Mane at the edge of the box, as the latter looked to race away with the ball. Having already been booked, he sees a second yellow, which means a red and gets his marching orders. It is only a second yellow and not a straight red because Al Gharafa had cover and Sano was not the last man.
83’ GHA 1-3 NAS
Al Gharafa sub: IN- Muntari OUT- Abdallah
80’ GHA 1-3 NAS
Gharafa is trying to chase the ball and put the Al Nassr defence under pressure. For Al Nassr, the focus seems to be more on protecting the lead. However, Pioli’s men are attacking if they get an opening.
November 25, 2024 23:09
GOAL
75’ GOOALL! GHA 1-3 NAS! JOSELU PULLS ONE BACK!
Coman plays a good ball over the top for Joselu who makes his way inside the Al Nassr box. Joselu’s first shot is saved by Bento but he cannot hold on to the ball. Joselu pounces on the rebound and lashes the ball at the back of the net. This brings some life into this one-sided competition. They still have time.
74’ GHA 0-3 NAS
Al Nassr subs: IN- Wesley. Alajami, Ghareeb OUT- Ronaldo, Simakan, Angelo
No hat-trick for Ronaldo as he makes his way off the pitch. He gives the captain’s armband to Al Ghanam.
70’ GHA 0-3 NAS
Brahimi has a chance to find a teammate from a freekick but his cross is overhit, leading to the ball going out of play. The chance goes begging for Al Gharafa, which in all honesty. don’t like a team, which can make a comeback against this Al Nassr side.
66’ GHA 0-3 NAS
Al Gharafa sub: IN- Boussafi OUT- Hamed Mayor
November 25, 2024 22:58
GOAL
64’ GOOALL! GHA 0-3 NAS! RONALDO GETS HIS BRACE!
The Al Gharafa defence is all over the place - Angelo, inside the Gharafa box, finds Ronaldo in space on the left and passes the ball to him. Once Ronaldo gets the ball, he cuts in and blasts the ball at the far-corner of the net. That should be three points confirmed for Al Nassr.
63’ GHA 0-2 NAS
Al Ghanam tries to find Ronaldo with a lobbed cross from the edge of the box but the ball is cleared before the Al Nassr star could get a touch to it.
November 25, 2024 22:55
YELLOW CARD
61’ GHA 0-2 NAS
Al Gharafa booking: Sano gets the first booking of the night as he gets a yellow card for his late challenge on Angelo.
58’ GOOAL! GHA 0-2 NAS! ANGELO WITH A TERRIFIC FINISH!
Al Nassr gets it second in style. Angelo plays an excellent one-two with Otavio, which allows the former to bypass the Gharafa defence. Angelo, with the ball at his feet makes his way towards goal. Rico comes off his line narrow the angle but Angelo shows his composure by taking the ball around him and then slotting the ball inside the empty net.
58’ GHA 0-1 NAS
Ronaldo carries the ball inside the box after being a played a ball over the top. The Portuguese start goes down inside the box and shouts for a penalty before he sees the assistant referee has raised the flag for offside.
52’ GHA 0-1 NAS
One cannot blame Gharafa for the lack of trying but the home team is finding it difficult to find openings inside the compact Al Nassr defence. Al Nassr, meanwhile, would want to get a second goal for security.
November 25, 2024 22:39
GOAL
46’ GOOAL! GHA 0-1 NAS! RONALDO SCORES!!
Angelo finds Al Ghanam in space on the right flank, with the latter making a run inside the box. Al Ghanam swings an excellent cross towards the middle and the cross is met by none other than Ronaldo, who heads the ball inside the net from about nine yards out.
SECOND-HALF!
Scores level at 0-0 as the second-half gets underway at the Al Bayt Stadium.
November 25, 2024 22:22
HALFTIME
HALF-TIME!
It is all square at the Al Bayt Stadium between Al Gharafa and Al Nassr in their AFC Champions League Elite clash as the match stays goalless at half-time.
Stay tuned. We will be back with live updates from the second-half after a short break!
45+2’ GHA 0-0 NAS
Ronaldo goes down at the edge of the Ghanam box and looks for a foul but does not get done. The replay showed that there was no contact at all but the Portuguese star is adamant that he was fouled. He is, in fact, lucky to escape a booking considering how he .protested to the referee. He also follows it up with a sarcastic clap.
45’ GHA 0-0 NAS
Five minutes added at the end of the first-half!
44’ GHA 0-0 NAS
Ronaldo fails to convert another scoring chance - Al Ghanam’s crosses from the right, which should have ideally been an easy catch for Rico. However, the Gharafa keeper makes a complete mess of it as he opts to punch the balll. His punch sends the ball straight to Ronaldo in the six-yard box. The Al Nassr captain wastes no time in taking a shot at goal but Kechrida makes a goal-saving tackle to keep the scores level.
42’ GHA 0-0 NAS
Otavio crosses from the right and this time, Ronaldo makes connection with the ball. But instead of a solid header, it is more of a glancing one as the ball reaches Brozovic at the edge of the box. The latter puts his boots through the ball but fails to keep his shot down.
41’ GHA 0-0 NAS
Ronaldo leaps to get his head to a cross by Brozovic from the right but cannot get a proper connection. He ends up hurting his marker Sano, who felt the entire weight of Ronaldo as he jumped him to meet the cross.
38’ GHA 0-0 NAS
Angelo threads a good through ball for Al Ghanam who makes a darting run on the right flank. He sends the ball into the middle, hoping to find a teammate but fails to do so.
33’ GHA 0-0 NAS
Miss - How has Al Nassr not scored there? Brozovic swings an excellent cross inside the box. Otavio gets at the end of the cross and flicks the ball towards Ronaldo at the far post. All the latter had to do was keep his effort on target but somehow, he puts his header wide from five yards out.
31’ GHA 0-0 NAS
Barely a minute after getting a penalty overruled, Al Nassr almost concedes as Joselu takes a shot from inside the box. However, the effort is blocked at the last second.
Decision overruled - No penalty for Al Nassr!
The referee takes his time and has a closer look at Nani’s challenge on Mane. After that, he comes back on the pitch and overrules his own decision. No penalty for Al Nassr.
27’ GHA 0-0 NAS
Penalty for Al Nassr - Mane is brought down inside the box by Nani and the referee immediately points to the spot.
Wait a minute, VARis having a check and it is longer than usual. The referee has been called to the monitor. From the replay, it looks like a penalty. Nani had none of the ball as he went to the ground to put in his sliding challenge on Mane
25’ GHA 0-0 NAS
Coman gets the ball at the edge of the box and gets a quick shot away. The shot is hard and low but Simakan is there to make the crucial block.
15; GHA 0-0 NAS
Mane has made some dangerous runs from the left and put some good crosses but has not baan able to find a teammate.
10’ GHA 0-0 NAS
Ronaldo lobs the ball from the left flank, which is met by a first-time shot by Brozovic. However, the technique was not correct.
7’ GHA 0-0 NAS
Brahimi finds Joselu with a cutback from the left but the latter could not get a clean connection for the shot. Coman tries to capitalise with a shot of his own from close distance, but the ball would not sit up for him. Eventually, Al Nassr gets the ball away with a clearance.
4’ GHA 0-0 NAS
The first shot on target for Al Nassr as Ronaldo shoots at goal from distance. However, the effort came more out of frustration and it is a weak one. Gharafa keeper Rico collects the ball comfortably.
3’ GHA 0-0 NAS
Al Nassr has enjoyed more of the ball in the opening minutes of the clash. Ronaldo and Mane has had quite touches in and around the Gharafa box but has not been able to pose any threat.
KICK-OFF!
The AFC Champions League Elite clash between Al Gharafa and Al Nassr kick-off at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar.
What happened in Al Nassr’s last AFC Champions Elite match?
Cristiano Ronaldo was on target as Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr inflicted a crushing 5-1 defeat on Al-Ain in the Asian Champions League Elite in Riyadh on Tuesday.
Al Gharafa starting line-up!
Al Nassr starting line-up!
PREVIEW
Al-Nassr looks to bounce back to winning ways when it visits Al-Gharafa at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar, on Monday in an AFC Champions League Group B fixture.
In the previous matchday, Al-Nassr handed a 5-1 drubbing to Al-Ain, which saw Talisca bag a brace. Cristiano Ronaldo too got on the scoresheet.
On the other hand, Al-Gharafa comes into this fixture after playing out a 1-1 draw against Persepolis.
Saudi Arabian clubs have yet to lose in the western zone of the Asian competition — the 24 teams in the tournament are divided into two groups of 12 with eight from each progressing to the Round of 16 after playing eight matches — and occupy the top three spots.
In the Group B points table, Al-Nassr is currently third after four matches with 10 points, while Al-Gharafa sits sixth in the standings with four points.
(inputs from AP)
