Al-Ain handed Al-Nassr a heavy 4-0 defeat in their AFC Champions League Elite opener, leaving Cristiano Ronaldo and his team-mates with a night to forget.
The hosts made their early pressure count in the 24th minute when Houssine Rahimi opened the scoring. Al-Nassr appeared to have an immediate response when Ronaldo found the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
Rahimi threatened again before the interval, although his second effort was also disallowed, leaving Al-Nassr within one goal at the break despite struggling to impose themselves on the contest.
Al-Ain punish Al-Nassr after the break
Al-Ain continued to control the match after the restart and eventually turned their dominance into a convincing victory.
Rahimi completed his brace in the 62nd minute to give the hosts breathing room before Soufiane Rahimi struck 11 minutes later to make it 3-0.
Al-Nassr were unable to find a way back into the match, and substitute Georgios Giakoumakis completed the rout in the 84th minute.
Ronaldo unable to inspire Al-Nassr
Ronaldo played the full 90 minutes but could not prevent Al-Nassr from suffering a chastening defeat in their continental campaign opener.
The Portuguese forward’s disallowed goal proved to be one of Al-Nassr’s few notable moments in front of goal, while Al-Ain repeatedly exposed weaknesses in the visitors’ defence.
The 4-0 loss gives Al-Nassr the worst possible start to their AFC Champions League Elite campaign and underlines the challenge facing Ronaldo’s side as they pursue success in a competition that remains absent from the veteran forward’s extensive list of honours.
Al-Ain, meanwhile, could hardly have asked for a stronger opening-night performance, with their four-goal victory sending an early warning to the rest of the competition.
