Ronaldo and Al Nassr suffer humiliating Asian Champions League thumping

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rahimi-el-houssine/dWw1Wfl5/"]Houssine Rahimi[/a] scored twice to put the former champions ‌in command of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/al-ain-UX1exRBg/al-nassr-h4I89ZuE/?mid=KYFajFK6"]the tie[/a] before his elder brother Soufiane ‌hit their team's third and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/giakoumakis-georgios/Ymn1qTve/"]Giorgos Giakoumakis[/a] scored their fourth in the ‌85th minute.[/p][p]"[b]We knew it was going to be tough, we had ‌to give it our all and I think we did that[/b]," said Giakoumakis.[/p][p]"[b]We were really mature from the first to the last moment and we managed ‌to score a good amount of goals and ⁠have a good victory[/b]."[/p][embed guid="2ed8828c-b470-4864-911f-0de28398c864" url="https://x.com/TheAFCCL/status/2099928885638959441" social-type="twitter" /][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/al-ain/UX1exRBg/"]Al Ain[/a] went ‌in front in the 25th minute when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rahimi-el-houssine/dWw1Wfl5/"]Houssine Rahimi[/a] pounced on [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/al-nasser-saad/WIBOF9ec/"]Saad Al-Nasser[/a]'s ​under-hit back-pass to slot through [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nawaf-alaqidi/lMGfYQCh/"]Nawaf Al-Aqidi[/a]'s legs and he doubled the lead when he side-footed home from eight yards ​in the 63rd minute.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rahimi-soufiane/OYfFre1D/"]Soufiane Rahimi[/a] added the third when he judged his run onto [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kaku/OlRVf1C1/"]Alejandro Romero[/a]'s through ball into the penalty area ⁠to perfection, remaining onside ​to drive his first-time shot into the bottom corner.[/p][p]Giakoumakis netted the fourth as Rahimi turned provider, rolling the ball into the path of the Greek forward 15 yards from goal and he gleefully converted.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/al-hilal/hxxcePl9/"]Al Hilal[/a] ‌registered [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/al-gharafa-SQrTeoKd/al-hilal-hxxcePl9/?mid=SbJ7lgkJ"]a 2-1 win[/a] over Qatar's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/al-gharafa/SQrTeoKd/"]Al Gharafa[/a] in their league phase opener with a goal in each half from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/neves-ruben/Ea90ReE4/"]Ruben Neves[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/milinkovic-savic-sergej/pAWQ3AE3/"]Sergej Milinkovic-Savic[/a] in Riyadh after both sides had been reduced to 10 men.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/summerville-crysencio/EaRET7t6/"]Crysencio Summerville[/a] was sent off after a 32nd-minute altercation with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/al-rashidi-abdulrahman/QqGE85Fa/"]Abdulrahman Al-Rashidi[/a] and, following the resulting melee, Al Gharafa's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bennacer-ismael/KS8ySjGG/"]Ismael Bennacer[/a] was also dismissed by referee Omar Al-Ali.[/p][embed guid="61bf3212-b2af-46e1-9b11-18772f7a6254" url="http://x.com/TheAFCCL/status/2099957706069098630" social-type="twitter" /][p]The four-time champions from Saudi Arabia went ahead three minutes into first-half stoppage time through Neves' penalty, with the ‌spot-kick awarded when Al Rashidi hauled winger [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bouabre-saimon/v7Lo1VBj/"]Saimon Bouabre[/a] down inside the area.[/p][p]Milinkovic-Savic doubled Al Hilal's lead 17 minutes from time when his ‌header was deflected past goalkeeper [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kone-ahmed/YcbZHLwC/"]Ahmed Kone[/a] and that was to prove crucial as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/alaa-aldeen-hassan/Mo3FVtmK/"]Alaa Eddin Hasan[/a] scored for the visitors from distance deep into stoppage time.[/p][p]The first eight finishers in the expanded 16-team league phase will progress to the knockout rounds in ⁠March, with the quarter-finals, semi-finals ⁠and final to be ‌played in Saudi Arabia in April and May.[/p]