Al Nassr secured their place in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League after defeating fellow Saudi team Al Fayha 2-0 in a match that took place on Wednesday evening at Al Nassr Park during the second leg of the Round of 16. Al Nassr claimed their quarter-final spot following a 1-0 victory in the first leg held last week, finishing with a 3-0 aggregate score over both legs.
The two goals for Al Nassr were scored by Portuguese player Ottavio in the 17th minute and his compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo in the 86th minute.
Al Nassr started the match aggressively, reaching Al Fayha's goal several times, although their attacks did not pose a real threat to goalkeeper Vladimir.
In the 17th minute, Al Nassr's efforts to break through Al Fayha's defenses paid off when Abdullah Al-Khaibari made a long pass to his teammate Ottavio, who headed the ball into Al Fayha's net. Following this, Al Nassr continued their attacking momentum, with Cristiano Ronaldo coming close to doubling the score, but his header hit the post.
Al Fayha's first response came in the 45th minute when Zambian player Fashion Sakala managed to overcome Al Nassr's defense and shot towards goal, but his attempt posed no threat to goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah.
The same scenario continued in the second half, with Al Nassr's superiority evident, and the referee disallowed a goal by Cristiano at the start of the half for offside. A few minutes later, Al Fayha's goalkeeper saved his team from conceding a second goal by blocking a shot from Cristiano Ronaldo just outside the penalty area.
Al Nassr had another opportunity to add a second goal in the 67th minute when Ottavio skillfully maneuvered past Al Fayha's defense and provided a cross that went unconverted. The chances continued to go begging until the 86th minute when Cristiano Ronaldo confirmed his team's victory by scoring the second goal, taking advantage of a mistake by goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic.
Al Nassr will face UAE team Al Ain in the quarter-finals, who overcame Uzbek opponent Nasaf.
