Al-Nassr and Al-Sadd secured their places in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League Elite on Monday. Al-Nassr defeated Iranian side Esteghlal 3-0 in Riyadh, while Al-Sadd overcame a first-leg deficit to beat Al-Wasl 4-2 on aggregate.
Al-Nassr 3-0 Esteghlal (3-0 on aggregate)
Jhon Duran scored twice and Cristiano Ronaldo converted a penalty as Al-Nassr cruised to a 3-0 victory over Esteghlal. The win, following a 0-0 draw in the first leg in Tehran, sends Stefano Pioli’s team through to the quarter-finals, which will be held as part of a centralized tournament in Jeddah from April 25th to May 3rd.
Duran opened the scoring in the ninth minute, capitalizing on a goalkeeping error. Esteghlal goalkeeper Seyed Hossein Hosseini gifted possession to the Colombian striker 25 meters from goal, and Duran lifted the ball over him into the net.
Al-Nassr doubled their lead in the 27th minute from the penalty spot. Cristiano Ronaldo converted with his usual confidence after Mohammad Niknafs’ mistimed challenge on Sadio Mane.
Esteghlal’s hopes were further diminished when Mehran Ahmadi was sent off for a second bookable offense late in the first half, catching Mohammed Al-Fatil in the face with a flailing arm.
Duran completed the scoring in the 84th minute, whipping a low strike into the bottom corner. He also hit the woodwork.
“I think we played well,” said Sadio Mane. “We created many chances and we scored three goals. I think we got our reward. We pressed well together, we pushed them and they made mistakes and from that we scored three goals. We have a clean sheet and we cannot expect more than this.”
Al-Sadd 3-1 Al-Wasl (4-2 on aggregate)![]()
In Doha, Akram Afif inspired Al-Sadd to a 3-1 victory over Al-Wasl, overturning a one goal deficit. Al-Wasl took an early lead in the 10th minute through Brazil-born forward Fabio Lima, who swept home a first-time shot after Alexis Perez’s center.
However, Al-Sadd responded with three goals in an 11-minute spell. Afif set up Mostafa Meshaal for the equalizer in the 26th minute, driving to the byline before cutting the ball back.
Youcef Atal then put Al-Sadd ahead on the half-hour mark, cutting inside and scoring with a deflected shot from a tight angle.
Afif capped off a superb first-half performance with a stunning goal in the 37th minute. He played a short free-kick to Claudinho and then curled the return pass into the top corner from 20 meters. The two victories see both Saudi and Qatari teams through.
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