Al-Nasr’s third victory in the AFC Champions League in the absence of Ronaldo

Al-Nassr Saudi Arabia achieved its third successive victory in the AFC Champions League 2 after defeating its host, Goa, India, 2-1, on Wednesday, in the fourth group competitions, in the absence of a group of its most prominent stars, led by Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo.

Brazilian Angelo Gabriel (10) and Aaron Kamara (27) scored Al-Nasr’s goals, while Bryson Fernandes (41) scored Goa’s goal.

The second match in the same group ended with Tajikistan’s Esteghlal defeating Iraq’s Al-Zawraa 2-1.
Al-Nasr maintained its lead in the group standings with 9 points from three matches, compared to 6 points for Esteghlal and 3 for Al-Zawraa, while Goa’s balance remained devoid of points.

The beginning was in favor of the Al-Nasr team, which intensified its early attempts in the areas of its Indian counterpart until it succeeded in scoring the first goal when Abdul Rahman Gharib passed the ball to his teammate Angelo, who shot it forcefully and settled in the right corner (10).

The hosts tried to absorb the visitors’ continuous pressure, but Al-Nasr was the best at all levels and succeeded in adding the second goal when Kamara received a ball inside the penalty area and shot it into the goal (27).

Goa succeeded in reducing the gap through Bryson Fernandes, who received a pass from his colleague Dejan Drazic and shot it into the net (41).

In the second half, Boris Singh almost equalized after facing the goal, but Al-Nasr’s Brazilian goalkeeper Pinto saved the situation (67).

Ayman Yahya tried his luck by shooting from outside the penalty area, but his ball passed near the post (78).
Instead of stoppage time, Goa player David Teymur was sent off (90+2).

The fourth round of group competitions will be held on November 5, where Al-Nasr will meet Goa in Riyadh, and Al-Zawraa will meet Al-Istiqlal in Baghdad.

The first and second-place finishers in each of the eight groups qualify for the round of 16.