Al-Nassr secured a 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan’s Neftchi Fergana in the second round of the AFC Champions League Elite, earning their first points of the league phase after losing their opening fixture. Goals from Ângelo Gabriel and Cristiano Ronaldo, followed by an own goal from Anvarjon Gofurov, helped the Saudi side claim victory at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh.
The result offered Al-Nassr a response to their 4-0 defeat against the United Arab Emirates’ Al Ain in the opening round. Neftchi Fergana, meanwhile, remained on three points after beginning their campaign with a 1-0 win over Iraq’s Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya.
Playing on home soil, Al-Nassr established control before the interval with two goals in the space of nine minutes. Brazilian attacker Ângelo Gabriel broke the deadlock in the 33rd minute, giving the Riyadh club an important advantage in front of its supporters.
Cristiano Ronaldo extended the lead in the 42nd minute, putting Al-Nassr 2-0 ahead before the teams went into the break. The Portuguese forward’s contribution strengthened the home side’s position after a difficult start to its continental campaign.
Neftchi Fergana returned from half-time with a response. Alisher Odilov found the net in the 51st minute, reducing the deficit to 2-1 and giving the Uzbek visitors renewed hope of getting back into the contest.
However, the visitors’ effort to narrow the gap was undone when Anvarjon Gofurov scored an own goal. The incident restored Al-Nassr’s two-goal advantage and left the home team with a 3-1 lead.
Al-Nassr maintained that margin to the final whistle, completing a win that placed its campaign back on track after the opening-round setback. The three goals also demonstrated the importance of taking advantage of scoring opportunities, particularly after Neftchi Fergana had threatened to make the contest more competitive early in the second half.
The outcome leaves both clubs with three points from their first two league-stage matches. Al-Nassr opened with a heavy loss to Al Ain before recovering in Riyadh, while Neftchi Fergana followed its narrow victory over Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya with a defeat against the Saudi side.
The league-stage format makes each result important as teams compete to progress in the continental tournament. For Al-Nassr, the victory provides an opportunity to build momentum in its remaining fixtures, while Neftchi Fergana will look to recover from the loss in its next match.
Ronaldo’s goal was one of the key moments of the first half, arriving shortly before the interval and giving Al-Nassr greater control of the scoreline. Ângelo Gabriel’s earlier strike had laid the foundation for the win, while Gofurov’s own goal ultimately helped the hosts restore their advantage after Odilov’s second-half effort.
Despite conceding once, Al-Nassr finished the match with a two-goal winning margin. The result marked a significant change from the club’s opening-round performance and ensured that it did not remain without points after its first two appearances in the competition.
With the second-round fixture complete, attention now turns to the teams’ upcoming matches and their efforts to strengthen their positions in the AFC Champions League Elite league phase.
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