TEHRAN, Iran — In a tightly contested match, Al-Nassr from Saudi Arabia and Iran’s Esteghlal ended their first leg of the AFC Champions League Elite second round in a 0-0 draw on Monday, a game notably absent of the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo. The Al-Nassr team, despite missing the 40-year-old superstar forward who has amassed five UEFA Champions League wins during his illustrious career with Manchester United and Real Madrid, struggled to find the net.
Fans in Tehran witnessed a challenging night for Al-Nassr as they vied to gain an advantage in this high-stakes encounter. Jhon Duran, who joined the Saudi side from Aston Villa earlier in January, came closest to breaking the deadlock. Another key player, Sadio Mane of former Liverpool fame, also managed to craft scoring opportunities.
However, Esteghlal’s goalkeeper, Seyed Hossein Hosseini, was in top form, denying Al-Nassr any goals and keeping the visiting team at bay. Al-Nassr’s coach, Stefano Pioli, expressed contentment with his team’s efforts despite the lack of goals, emphasizing the importance of the looming second leg. “I am satisfied with the performance of the players,” Pioli commented. “It is important to remember that there is another game.”
The second leg of this tie is scheduled to take place in Riyadh on March 11. The victor from this matchup will move on to the quarterfinals of the competition.
In other matches, Al-Wasl from the United Arab Emirates and Qatar’s Al-Sadd also found themselves in a draw, concluding their match at 1-1.
