Ronaldo ‘assists’ Laporte in Al Nassr’s seventh win with Pioli

The Portuguese star and Otávio were starters for the Saudi team against Iranian side Esteghlal, in an Asian Champions League match, held at a borrowed venue in Dubai, due to the explosive situation in the Middle East

It was hard, but it happened. This Tuesday, Al Nassr beat Iranian side Esteghlal in the third round of Group B of the Asian Champions League, played away from home but on a borrowed home ground in Dubai, due to the explosive situation in the Middle East and the lack of security that would be required if the match were to be held in Tehran, the capital of Iran.

With Cristiano Ronaldo and Otávio in the starting line-up, the Saudi team achieved their seventh consecutive victory under the command of Italian Steafno Pioli, who, it is worth remembering, replaced Portuguese Luís Castro, thanks to a goal by Aymeric Laporte , in the 81st minute, in a rebound the huge defense denied the goal to… Cristiano Ronaldo.

It was not an easy game for Al Nassr , who were still level at half-time, a situation that led the Italian coach to make three changes to the team at half-time, as he was not happy with what he was seeing on the pitch.
Al Nassr ‘s pressure finally paid off in a set piece. A corner kick from the right side of Al Nassr ‘s attack was taken by Brozovic and Ronaldo headed it in with a great jump, but goalkeeper Hosseini denied it. Laporte headed the ball into the Esteghlal goal at the far post, making it 1-0, Al Nassr ‘s second victory in the Asian Champions League.