Al Duhail lost 3-4 to Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr in the third round (Group E) of the 2023-2024 AFC Champions League at the Al Awwal Park Stadium in Riyadh on Tuesday, October 24, 2023.

Al Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace (61st and 81st minutes), while Talisca (25th minute) and Sadio Mane (56th minute) were also on target for the home side.

Al Duhail’s goals were scored by Ismail Mohammed (63rd minute), Almoez Ali (67th minute) and Michael Olunga (85th minute).

Al Duhail remained on one point in the group while table toppers Al Nassr extended their lead with the maximum nine points from the three matches played.

Unsurprisingly, the home side, Al Nassr, parading superstar Ronaldo and Senegal’s Mane, went on a frontal attack right from the blast of the opening whistle, and it was no surprise that they got the first attempt at goal in the third minute, but Talisca’s left-footed shot from the right side of the box, off an assist by Otavinho, went wide. 

With the pressure mounting on Al Duhail’s goal, Talisca unsurprisingly opened the scoring in the 25th minute for the Saudi side. Ronaldo had gotten the ball in the Al Duhail area and did well to send it to Talisca on his right. Talisca, thereafter, showed good skill to create some space on the turn and then took his shot, aiming for the far corner. Goalkeeper Salah Zakaria managed to get a touch, but it was not enough to keep the ball from going inside the net.

Ronaldo almost provided an assist for what could have been the second for Al Nassr just before half-time after scooping the ball for Mane, who had made a run in front of him, but Mane got his header just inches away from the target. 

Al Duhail were clearly the better side on the resumption of second half and they could have got an equalizer in the 53rd minute after Coutinho managed to poke the ball at goal amidst a sea of Al Nassr bodies, but the ball hit the post and came back into play before being cleared by the home team.

Al Nassr got their second of the night in the 56th minute after Sultan Al Ghanam swung in a dangerous ball from the right and Ronaldo jumped to get a header away but missed the ball. The ball thereafter fell to Mane, who was behind Ronaldo, and he got a telling touch to rattle the back of the net.

Five minutes later, Ronaldo, who had been in superb form all night, made it three for the Saudi side with a screamer of a shot from just outside of the box.

The celebration of Ronaldo’s goal had hardly died down when Al Duhail pulled one back through Ismail Mohammed, who headed in from the right side of the six-yard box to the high centre of the goal in the 63rd minute.

Al Duhail got their second goal four minutes after the first through Almoez Ali, who fired in a right-footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner from a Coutinho assist.

Ronaldo got his brace and the fourth for Al Nassr in the 81st minute from a left-footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal following an Al Ghannam assist.

Olunga reduced the deficit for Al Duhail in the 85th minute after Almoez Ali had spectacularly managed to wriggle away from a couple of Al Nassr players to create some space. He then rolled the ball to the Kenyan player on the right and the latter found the far corner with a finessed effort. 

As Al Duhail continued to mount pressure, the hosts hung on for the win as the high-octane match came to a close.