Al-Nassr’s Asian Champions League Nightmare: Ronaldo’s Side Crushed 4-0 By Al-Ain

Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Nassr endured a nightmare start to their Asian Champions League Elite campaign, suffering a 4-0 defeat to Al-Ain of the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.

The Saudi Pro League champions, who are still chasing their first-ever title in the competition, were outplayed for long periods as Al-Ain produced a commanding performance at home.

Al-Ain took control after 25 minutes, when Moroccan forward Houssine Rahimi opened the scoring. The hosts carried their advantage into the second half before Rahimi struck again shortly after the hour mark to put Al-Nassr in serious trouble.

The defeat then turned into a rout. With 18 minutes remaining, Soufiane Rahimi added Al-Ain’s third goal before setting up Georgios Giakoumakis for the fourth, completing a miserable night for Ronaldo's side.

Ronaldo, now 41, was unable to find the net as he continued his pursuit of career goal No. 980. His late free kick offered a chance to reduce the deficit, but Al-Ain goalkeeper Khalid Eisa produced the save.

Al-Nassr coach Ange Postecoglou accepted responsibility after the heavy defeat, saying the players had given everything and that the responsibility was his. He also acknowledged that Al-Nassr “as a whole was poor.”

The result leaves Al-Nassr with only one win in their last four matches, adding further pressure after their disappointing opening to the continental campaign.

The other Saudi clubs had mixed fortunes. Al-Hilal, a four-time winner of the competition, defeated Qatar's Al-Gharafa 2-1, with Ruben Neves scoring from the penalty spot and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic adding the winner.

Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad were held to 1-1 draws by Uzbekistan's Pakhtakor and Qatar's Al-Shamal respectively, while Al-Qadsiah began with a 2-1 victory over Al-Wasl of the UAE.