Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first goal in the Asian Champions League in Al-Nassr's 3-1 win over Istiklol on Monday to shift attention back to soccer after an earlier match between Sepahan of Iran and Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad was canceled over legal violations at the at Naghsh-e-Jahan Stadium.
Another Saudi club, Al-Hilal, which is a four-time winner of the Asian continental title, was scheduled to play Nassaji Mazandaran in Tehran on Tuesday.
Al-Nassr took control against Tajikistan's Istiklol in the second half at Riyadh. Ronaldo, who joined the club in December, equalized with a delicate chip midway through the second half. Senin Sebai had put Istiklol ahead just before the break.
Ronaldo scored for the seventh successive game, and then two goals in quick succession from Brazilian forward Anderson Talisca gave Al-Nassr the win.
Al-Nassr, still searching for a first continental championship, is top of Group E with six points from two games, three above Persepolis. The Iranian club beat Al-Duhail of Qatar 1-0.
Elsewhere, Nasaf Qarshi of Uzbekistan maintained its perfect start in Group B with a 3-1 win over Qatar’s Al-Sadd, while Al-Faisaly lost 1-0 at Sharjah.
Only the 10 group winners and the six best-performing runners-up will progress to the next stage.
