Without an ill Cristiano Ronaldo, Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia drew with Al-Shorta of Iraq 1-1 in the first ever game in the revamped and rebranded AFC Champions League Elite on Monday.
Ronaldo was left behind in Riyadh because Al-Nassr said the Portugal superstar, who has won five UEFA Champions Leagues but has yet to win a major trophy with his current club, had a viral infection and could not travel to Baghdad.
Sultan Al-Ghannam put Al-Nassr ahead after 14 minutes though Mohammed Dawood leveled 10 minutes later.
There was another blow for Al-Nassr as Croatia international Marcelo Brozovic left the field injured early in the second half.
Al-Ahli, another of Saudi Arabia’s three star-studded teams in the tournament, beat Persepolis of Iran 1-0 in Jeddah.
Former Barcelona and AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie scored in the first minute. Ivan Toney, signed from English Premier League club Brentford in August, made his Asian debut for Al-Ahli but the England striker was unable to get on the scoresheet.
Former Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez missed a second half penalty, but Al-Ahli held on.
Al-Ain of the United Arab Emirates, which in May was the last winner of the Asian Champions League which has been replaced by the more streamlined Elite, started with a 1-1 draw against Al-Sadd of Qatar. Elsewhere, Esteghlal of Iran defeated Al-Gharafa of Qatar 3-0.
The 24 teams have been divided into two groups of 12, divided into east and west geographic zones, and each plays eight games. The top eight from each group progresses to the round of 16.
Saudi Arabia’s third team, Al-Hilal, is in action on Tuesday and travels to Qatar to face Al-Rayyan.
