Cristiano Ronaldo delivered another headline moment as Al Nassr booked their place in the AFC Champions League Two semi-finals with a commanding 4 0 victory over Al Wasl in Dubai.
The Portuguese star opened the scoring in the 11th minute and responded to rival fans chanting Lionel Messi’s name with a bold gesture that quickly spread across social media.
Ronaldo signaled for quiet before making a calm-down motion toward the crowd, demonstrating his focus remained firmly on the game.
His initial strike also served as the 970th goal of his amazing career, moving him closer to the historical 1,000-goal threshold.
Following the kickoff, Al Nassr never turned around. Before Abdulelah Al Amri scored soon thereafter to effectively distance the game, Iñigo MartÃnez contributed the second goal.
Late in the game, as the Saudi team sailed into the final four, former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane finished the scoring. Ronaldo was eventually swapped following another significant attacking performance.
The News Chronicle gathered that the quarter-final fixture was rescheduled by the Asian Football Confederation following disruption linked to regional tensions, with knockout matches moved to neutral venues and played as single-leg ties.
Attention now turns to the semi-final, where Al Nassr will face Qatar’s Al Ahli SC. Victory there would send Ronaldo and his teammates into the final against the Japanese side Gamba Osaka, setting up another major opportunity for silverware this season.
