Al Nassr struggled without Cristiano Ronaldo on Monday, managing only a 1-1 draw against Iraq’s Al Shorta in their Asian Champions League opener. Ronaldo, who serves as Al Nassr’s captain, did not travel with the team to Baghdad due to a viral infection, as the club announced a day earlier.
Al Nassr got off to a promising start when full-back Sultan Al Ghannam latched onto Otavio’s clever pass in the 14th minute, finishing low past Al Shorta goalkeeper Ahmed Basil. However, the hosts equalized just 10 minutes later after a defensive mix-up between new signings Salem Al Najdi and former RB Leipzig defender Mohamed Simakan allowed Mohammed Dawood to fire a high shot past goalkeeper Bento.
Meanwhile, Saudi side Al Ahli secured a narrow 1-0 victory at home against Iran’s Persepolis in Jeddah. Franck Kessie gave the home side an early lead in the second minute, converting a pass from Riyad Mahrez. Persepolis were initially awarded a penalty just before halftime, but the decision was overturned following a VAR review.
In the second half, new signing Ivan Toney, who made his Asian football debut, earned Al Ahli a penalty after being fouled by Hossein Kanani. However, Mahrez’s spot-kick was saved by Persepolis goalkeeper Alexis Guendouz. Toney, a recent acquisition from Premier League club Brentford, missed a chance to score late in the match, dragging his shot wide.
Elsewhere, reigning champions Al Ain began their title defense with a 1-1 draw at home to Qatar’s Al Sadd.
Akram Afif, the 2019 Asian Footballer of the Year and player of the tournament at this year’s Asian Cup, opened the scoring for Al Sadd at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on the hour mark. However, Al Ain managed to secure a point 10 minutes from time, thanks to a goal from Argentine midfielder Matias Palacios.
In another match on Monday, Iran’s Esteghlal comfortably defeated Qatari side Al Gharafa 3-0.
The revamped Asian Champions League format now features 24 teams, with 12 from West Asia and 12 from East Asia. Each club will play four home and four away matches, and the top eight teams from each region will advance to the knockout stages early next year.
