Ronaldo double bolsters Al Nassr’s ACL place

Cristiano Ronaldo netted a pair of goals in Al Nassr’s Asian Champions League win over Al Gharafa at Al-Bayt Stadium on Monday.

Ronaldo was a frustrated figure in the opening 45 minutes, but headed in the opener inside the first minute of the second half to send his side on their way to victory.

Angelo Gabriel rounded goalkeeper Sergio Rico to score the second 12 minutes later and Ronaldo hit the third in the 64th minute as Al Nassr move onto 13 points from their opening five games despite Joselu’s late consolation for the home side.

Al Nassr will aim to extend their winning run when they face Qatari side Al Sadd next Tuesday, while Al Gharafa take on Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia.

Former Brentford striker Ivan Toney came off the bench to score twice and earn Al Ahli a 2-1 win over Al-Ain on Monday that moves the Saudi side into the knockout rounds and leaves the defending champions in danger of missing out on the round of 16.

Toney replaced Feras Al-Brikan in the 65th minute at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium and hit both his goals in a four-minute spell to give Al Ahli a fifth win in a row in the competition and guarantee their place in the next phase.

Teams finishing in the top eight in the 12-team leagues in west and east Asia progress to the knockout rounds in March and Al Ahli have confirmed their place with three games remaining in the league phase.

Toney broke the deadlock with 20 minutes remaining when he headed Riyad Mahrez‘s free kick past Khalid Eisa and, four minutes later, he doubled the advantage when he combined again with the former Manchester City winger to slide in the second.

Defending champions Al-Ain had picked up only one point from four games prior to hosting Al Ahli on Monday and Alejandro Romero’s goal three minutes into injury time gave new coach Leonardo Jardim and his team hope of a late comeback.

But Al Ahli held on to move to the top of the western standings, three points ahead of compatriots Al Hilal, who face Qatar‘s Al-Sadd on Tuesday, while Al-Ain remain rooted to the bottom on a solitary point with three games remaining.

Information from Reuters was used in this story.