Al Ain continued their flawless start to the AFC Champions League Elite with a commanding 4-1 victory over Al Ittihad in Jeddah, while Al Nassr produced a record-breaking 6-2 win against Pakhtakor despite the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo. The results strengthened the positions of both Saudi and UAE clubs in the West Asia competition.
Al Ain Extend Winning Streak with Statement Victory Over Al Ittihad
Al Ain maintained their 100% record in the AFC Champions League Elite group phase after defeating Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad 4-1 at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.
The UAE champions began their campaign with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in September. They subsequently secured wins against Al Quwa Al Jawiya and Tractor before adding another impressive result against Saudi opposition.
The victory kept Vladimir Ivic’s side at the top of the West Asia standings with 12 points, while Al Ittihad remained in 10th position with four points.
Kaku and Rafael Rodrigues Put Al Ain in Control
Al Ittihad started the match with considerable pressure, but Al Ain gradually found their rhythm and opened the scoring in the 17th minute.
Georgios Giakoumakis’ diving header was parried by Al Ittihad goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic, with the rebound falling to Paraguay playmaker Kaku. The midfielder finished from an acute angle to give Al Ain the advantage.
The visitors doubled their lead shortly before half-time when Rafael Rodrigues’ cross-cum-shot evaded Rajkovic and found the net.
Al Ittihad responded strongly after the break, with Al Ain goalkeeper Khalid Eisa producing important saves to deny long-range efforts from Dion Lopy and Ahmed Al Julaydan.
The home side eventually reduced the deficit in the 53rd minute. Marwan Al Sahafi collected Houssem Aouar’s pass before finishing to make it 2-1.
However, Al Ain restored their two-goal advantage in fortunate circumstances. Houssine Rahimi’s cross from the right took a significant deflection off Jan-Carlo Simic and looped over Rajkovic into the goal.
Matias Palacios then converted a penalty in the 90th minute to complete the 4-1 victory.
Kaku expressed his satisfaction with the result, while Ivic praised his team’s ability to manage the different technical challenges presented during the match.
Al Nassr Thrash Pakhtakor 6-2 Without Cristiano Ronaldo
Al Nassr delivered an impressive attacking performance to defeat Pakhtakor 6-2 in Uzbekistan, securing their second victory in the AFC Champions League Elite campaign.
Cristiano Ronaldo was rested for the trip alongside Kingsley Coman and Mohamed Simakan. However, their absence did not prevent Al Nassr from producing one of their most dominant performances of the competition.
Abdullah Al Hamdan opened the scoring in the 15th minute before Portuguese forward João Félix added two goals to give Al Nassr a commanding advantage.
Pakhtakor responded through Flamarion before half-time, reducing the deficit to 3-1.
Al Nassr continued their dominance in the second half, with Abdulelah Al Amri, Abdulrahman Ghareeb and Angelo Gabriel finding the net.
Dostonbek Khamdamov scored another goal for the Uzbek side, but his effort proved insufficient to prevent a comprehensive defeat.
Final Score: Pakhtakor 2-6 Al Nassr
The result marked Al Nassr’s biggest victory in AFC Champions League history, surpassing their previous 5-1 wins against Al Wahda and Al Ain.
João Félix Leads Al Nassr’s Attack
João Félix emerged as the standout performer, demonstrating his attacking quality and ability to influence the match.
Sadio Mané also played an important role, contributing to Al Nassr’s attacking threat and helping the team maintain its momentum.
Al Nassr head coach Ange Postecoglou dismissed suggestions that Ronaldo’s absence had contributed to the team’s scoring performance.
He pointed out that Al Nassr had previously scored five goals in a match featuring Ronaldo, who had scored a hat-trick.
The result highlighted the attacking depth within the Saudi Arabian club’s squad as they continue their continental campaign.
Al Qadsiah Record 5-0 Win; Al Ahli Held by Al Sadd
Elsewhere, Al Qadsiah moved into third place in the West Asia standings with an emphatic 5-0 victory over Al Gharafa in Qatar.
Mohammed Abu Al Shamat opened the scoring before Mexican striker Julián Quiñones scored twice in the first half. Yasser Al Shahrani and Mohammed Al Qahtani also found the net.
Brendan Rodgers praised his team’s control and performance, while Quiñones highlighted the unity within the squad.
Two-time defending champions Al Ahli, meanwhile, were held to a 0-0 draw by Al Sadd in Qatar, settling for a point in a closely contested encounter.
AFC Champions League Elite: What the Results Mean
Al Ain’s continued success reinforces their position as one of the leading contenders in the competition. Four consecutive victories have given the UAE champions a strong foundation as they pursue continental qualification.
Al Nassr’s record-breaking victory also underlines the depth of their squad and their ability to compete without their captain.
Al Qadsiah’s impressive campaign adds further competition to the West Asia standings, while Al Ahli’s draw demonstrates the challenges facing even the most experienced clubs.
With the group phase continuing, every point will be important in determining which teams progress to the knockout stages.
Al Ain and Al Nassr delivered two major results in the AFC Champions League Elite, highlighting the strength of Gulf football on the continental stage.
Al Ain maintained their perfect record with a convincing victory over Al Ittihad, while Al Nassr demonstrated their attacking quality with a 6-2 win over Pakhtakor without Cristiano Ronaldo.
With Al Qadsiah also producing an emphatic victory and Al Ahli dropping points, the West Asia competition remains highly competitive as clubs continue their pursuit of continental glory.
