https://arab.news/gxejv
- Ronaldo, who missed the first leg in Iran, kept his cool and produced a perfect Panenka penalty into the center of the goal to bag his seventh goal of the tournament so far
- Duran got his second five minutes from the end — found in space on the right side of the penalty area — he fired a low shot into the far corner in emphatic fashion
Al-Nassr booked their AFC Champions League Elite quarter-final place on Monday with a comfortable 3-0 win over Esteghlal of Iran.
After a frustrating first leg ended 0-0 in Tehran a week earlier, Jhon Duran and Cristiano Ronaldo did the damage in Riyadh to dump the visitors out of the tournament.
Duran opened the scoring after just nine minutes in spectacular fashion. The Colombian, signed from Aston Villa in January, found space on the right corner of the penalty area and produced an exquisite lob that the goalkeeper got a hand to but could not prevent crossing the line.
After Sadio Mane was fouled in the area, Ronaldo, who missed the first leg in Iran, kept his cool and produced a perfect Panenka penalty into the center of the goal to bag his seventh goal of the tournament so far.
What was already a tough task became mission impossible for the Tehran club after they were reduced to 10 men on the stroke of half time. Mehran Ahmadi was shown a second yellow and as he exited the pitch, with a consoling arm of Ronaldo around his shoulders, he took the slim hopes of Esteghlal with him.
It was then a case of damage limitation and Al-Nassr remained in total control of the tie. Five minutes after the restart, Duran fired a fierce shot against the bar from just outside the area.
The Colombian got his second five minutes from the end. He was found in space on the right side of the penalty area and fired a low shot into the far corner in emphatic fashion.
It ended a perfect evening for the Yellows — seeking a first Asian championship — who are the first Saudi Arabian club to make the last eight.
Al-Ahli are expected to join them on Tuesday after winning their first leg 3-1 against Al-Rayyan of Qatar last week. Al-Hilal, however, have much more work to do after losing 1-0 at the Uzbekistan home of Pakhtakor.
Elsewhere, Al-Sadd of Qatar defeated Dubai’s Al-Wasl 3-1 to take the tie 4-2 on aggregate.