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Al Ain thrash Al Nassr 4-0 in Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2026-27 AFC Champions League Elite debut

Al Nassr and Cristiano Ronaldo got off to a disappointing start in the 2026-27 AFC Champions League Elite after being thrashed by Al Ain.

Cristiano Ronaldo of team Al Nassr FC.
© Getty ImagesCristiano Ronaldo of team Al Nassr FC.

Al Nassr’s debut in the 2026-27 AFC Champions League Elite was a poor one. Cristiano Ronaldo’s side was thrashed 4-0 by Al Ain and will need to quickly bounce back if it wants to establish itself as a contender in Group B.

The Rahimi brothers had a dream afternoon on their home turf. Houssine scored a brace, while Soufiane added the third. Greek striker Giorgos Giakoumakis sealed the final score for his team.

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For Ange Postecoglou’s side, it will be a matter of regrouping after a tough setback at the start of the competition. With time to prepare, Ronaldo and his teammates will look to secure their first win in Matchday 2 and reignite their hopes of challenging near the top of the table.

90'+7 - End of the game!!! (4-0)

Al Ain thrashed Al Nassr 4-0 and got their 2026-27 AFC Champions League Elite campaign off to a flying start.

90' - Added time is being played! (4-0)

The referee adds seven minutes of stoppage time.

88' - Al Ain deny CR7 a goal (4-0)

The Al Ain goalkeeper saved a powerful free kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

84' - GOOOOAL for Al Ain (4-0)

Giorgos Giakoumakis scores his team’s fourth goal.

82' - Al Nassr are looking for a consolation goal (3-0)

João Félix is one of the few players trying to create danger. Giakoumakis has been booked for Al Ain.

80' - Last minutes of the match (3-0)

Al Nassr look vulnerable and are nowhere near finding a consolation goal. Giakoumakis comes close to scoring his team’s fourth goal.

77' - Game resumes (3-0)

Play has resumed between Al Ain and Al Nassr.

75' - Cooling break! (3-0)

The game is stopped for a hydration break.

72' - GOOOOAL for Al Ain (3-0)

Soufiane Rahimi scores the third after a VAR review.

69' - Last 20 minutes of the match (2-0)

Al Nassr have just a few minutes left to try to turn things around. Substitution for Al Ain: Rahimi is replaced by Giorgos Giakoumakis.
Rafael Rodrigues also comes off, with Erik Jorgens de Menezes coming on.

65' - Goal conceded! (2-0)

After a VAR review, the second goal was confirmed.

63' - GOOOOAL for Al Ain (2-0)

Houssine Rahimi scores his second goal to make it 2-0.

60' - Defensive organization is the priority (1-0)

Al Ain remain well-organized and neutralize every attempt from Al Nassr.

55' - The game is becoming more fast-paced (1-0)

With more heart than football, Al Nassr are pushing for an equalizer. Cristiano Ronaldo has been quiet so far.

50' - Al Ain are looking to extend their lead (1-0)

Al Ain came out firing in the second half and are looking for a second goal.

46' - First substitution for Al Nassr (1-0)

Saad Al Nasser was substituted for Rakan Khalid Al-Ghamdi.

45' - Second half is underway! (1-0)

Al Ain and Al Nassr are back underway for the second half of Matchday 1 in the 2026–27 AFC Champions League Elite.

Al Ain deserve their lead (1-0)

The home side has been slightly better than Al Nassr and deserve its narrow lead. Cristiano Ronaldo’s team have offered very little so far.

45+6' - End of first half! (1-0)

With a goal from Rahimi following a major error by Al Nasser, Al Ain lead Al Nassr 1-0.

45+4' - Yellow card for Al Ain (1-0)

Goal scorer Housinne Rahimi was booked by the referee.

45+1' - Yellow card for Al Nassr (1-0)

After a VAR review, Al Nasser saw the yellow card.

43' - Final minutes of the first half! (1-0)

The first half is slowly coming to an end. Al Ain deserve their lead

40' - Al Nassr look the equalizer! (1-0)

With few clear ideas going forward, the visitors are looking for an equalizer before halftime. Set pieces appear to be their most dangerous weapon.

Al Ain look more effective and dangerous when going forward.

32' - Game resumes (1-0)

The match resumes after the break

30' - Al Ain goal disallowed (1-0)

Just before the hydration break, Al Ain scored a goal that was ruled offside

28' - No penalty for Al Nassr (1-0)

After a VAR review, the referee did not award a penalty to Al Nassr

25' - GOOOOAL for Al Ain (1-0)

Rahimi opens the scoring after a defensive error

20' - Al Ain are getting closer to the opening goal (0-0)

Kaku Romero Gamarra gets forward dangerously, but his cross could not be met by a teammate.

16' - Al Nassr are yet to find their footing (0-0)

Postecoglou’s side is struggling to create any real danger in the opposition box. A header from Inigo Martinez was the most dangerous chance of the match

13' - Al Ain are looking for the opening goal (0-0)

Lazaro had the first goal of the match, but his shot was blocked by an opposing player

9' - Matias Palacios is the main danger man (0-0)

The Argentine forward is constantly looking for the ball

4' - Al Ain look to take control of possession (0-0)

The home side is looking to play vertically in the opening minutes

2' - An active start to the match (0-0)

A shot off the post for Al Ain and a possible penalty for Al Nassr are the first major moments of the match

1' - Minute of silence (0-0)

Following the tragedy in Nepal, the match began with a respectful minute of silence

0' - Game is underway! (0-0)

Al Ain vs. Al Nassr are underway

Everything is set for kickoff

Al Ain and Al Nassr are all set for their debut in the 2026–27 AFC Champions League Elite.

The referee for this match

Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev will be the man in charge of officiating the match between Al Ain and Al Nassr.

Al Nassr’s strong form in the Saudi Pro League

Al Nassr are aiming to win back-to-back Saudi Pro League titles and have made a strong start to their domestic campaign. They currently sit third in the standings, with five wins, one draw, and one loss.

Matchday 2 opponents

Al Nassr will host FK Neftchi Fergana, while Al Ain will travel to face Al Quwa Al Jawiya.

The captains of both teams

Cristiano Ronaldo will wear the captain’s armband for Al Nassr, while goalkeeper Khaled Eisa will captain Al Ain.

The teams continue their preparations

Both Al Nassr and Al Ain continue with their pre-match warm-ups ahead of kickoff.

Al Ain’s starting XI

Al Ain will field these players to start the match:
Khaled Eisa; Rafa Rodriguez, Yahya Benkhaleq, Skoko; Kaku Romero Gamarra, Houssine Rahimi, Lazaro, Matias Palacios; Soufiane Rahimi, Rami Rabia, Abdoulkarim Traore.

Al Nassr’s starting XI

These are the players Ange Postecoglou has selected to start the match:
Nawaf Al Aqidi; Saad Al Nasser, Inigo Martinez, Abdulelah Al Amri, Joao Felix, Sadio Mane; Abdullah Al Khaibari, Samu Costa, Cristiano Ronaldo.

The venue for this match

Al Nassr will begin their campaign in this competition away from home, as the match will be played at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, which has a capacity of 25,000 spectators.

Welcome to our live blog!

Welcome to our live blog of Al Ain vs. Al Nassr!

Cristiano Ronaldo makes his debut in the 2026-27 AFC Champions League Elite, and you can follow all the action with our minute-by-minute updates.

Matías Persuh
Matías Persuh
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