Al Ain thrashes Al Nassr 4-0 in AFC Champions League Elite opener

The opening round of the AFC Champions League Elite saw significant results across the West Region. In the United Arab Emirates, Al Ain secured a dominant 4-0 victory over Saudi Pro League champions Al Nassr. Goals from Houssine Rahimi (25', 63'), Soufiane Rahimi (72'), and Georgios Giakoumakis (85') sealed the win. The heavy defeat has sparked intense debate regarding Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Al Nassr, with some former club officials suggesting a potential departure in the January transfer window. Al Nassr manager Ange Postecoglou defended Ronaldo, citing limited preparation and taking full responsibility for the result.

In Saudi Arabia, Al Hilal opened their campaign with a 2-1 win against Qatar’s Al Gharafa at the Kingdom Arena. Despite both teams finishing the match with ten players following red cards for Kristensio Samervil and Ismail Ben Nasser, Al Hilal secured the victory through goals from Ruben Neves and Sergej Milinković-Savić.

In the AFC Champions League 2 competition, Qatar’s Al Rayyan narrowly defeated Jordan’s Al Fayṣal 4-3 in a high-scoring encounter, securing their first three points of the tournament.