Riyadh’s King Saud University Stadium emerged from an uneasy evening with football restored and Al Nassr finally moving in Asia. A security alert delayed kick-off by an hour, but Cristiano Ronaldo scored career goal number 981 as the Saudi club defeated Uzbekistan’s Neftchi Fargona 3-1 in the second round of the Asian Champions League.
Key takeaways
- The match began an hour late after missile-related security concerns in the Saudi capital.
- Al Nassr players left the warm-up and returned only once authorities cleared the situation.
- Angelo opened the scoring before Ronaldo doubled the advantage shortly before half-time.
- Neftchi briefly threatened a comeback through Alisher Odilov’s 51st-minute goal.
- Anvarjou Gofurov’s own goal settled Al Nassr’s first victory of this Asian campaign.
A delayed night in Riyadh
The fixture was at risk after threats affecting Riyadh’s security prompted warnings from the authorities and announcements inside the stadium. Both squads had been on the pitch preparing for the game when they were sent back to the dressing rooms.
Once conditions had calmed, the contest went ahead without further interruption. For Al Nassr, it was an important chance to respond after their 4-0 opening-round defeat to Al Ain. Neftchi had arrived with momentum, having beaten Iraq’s Al Quwa 1-0 in their first group match.
Al Nassr took control around the half-hour mark. Nawaf Boushal pulled the ball back into the area and Brazilian forward Angelo finished from near the penalty spot, beating goalkeeper Botirali Ergashev.
The hosts had already lost Kingsley Coman, however. The French winger suffered a muscular problem after roughly 15 minutes and was replaced by Ayman Yahya.
Ronaldo milestone and Neftchi resistance
Yahya then played a decisive part at the other end before the interval, supplying Ronaldo, who turned and struck to make it 2-0. The finish took the Portuguese forward to 981 goals across his professional career.
Neftchi thought they had cut the deficit before the break when Marcus Forss found the net, but the effort was ruled out for offside. The Uzbek visitors did get their goal six minutes into the second half, with Alisher Odilov reducing the margin in the 51st minute.
For a spell, Al Nassr’s first continental win of the season looked less certain. Yet with 15 minutes remaining, Neftchi defender Anvarjou Gofurov put through his own net, restoring the two-goal cushion and closing a difficult but ultimately productive night for the Riyadh side.
