Ronaldo scores as Al-Nassr prevail after Riyadh security delay

Cristiano Ronaldo scored as Al-Nassr defeated Uzbekistan's Neftchi 3-1 in Riyadh in an AFC Champions League Elite match on Monday, October 12, 2026. Kick-off was delayed for about an hour after Saudi Arabia's Civil Defence issued a safety warning 15 minutes before the scheduled start.

The warning came amid recent missile strikes on Riyadh by Yemen-based Houthis, and Ange Postecoglou's side recovered from the interruption to take control in the first half. Angelo put Al-Nassr ahead in the 33rd minute with a deflected strike, and Ronaldo, the 41-year-old, doubled the lead nine minutes later. Sadio Mane delivered a looping cross from the left that Aiman Yahya chest-directed into Ronaldo's path, and the Portuguese forward lashed the ball into the bottom corner with a shot on the turn.

Neftchi reduced the deficit when Alisher Odilov scored six minutes into the second half, but the visitors were disadvantaged when Ikromjon Alibaev received a red card for a foul on Mohamed Simakan in the 65th minute. Anvarjon Gofurov then put the result beyond doubt with an own goal 13 minutes after the red card, sealing Al-Nassr's win.

Defending champions Al-Ahli registered their first victory of the campaign, beating Al-Wasl 3-1 under Marino Pusic. Roger Ibanez opened the scoring with a 20th-minute header before Pedro Malheiro levelled in the third minute of first-half stoppage time; Trincao and Feras Al-Brikan struck in the 58th and 91st minutes respectively to move Al-Ahli onto four points from their opening two matches. "We created also in the first half but in the second half we made our goals and I think that was the difference," said Trincao. "Physically we ‌were a little bit better and that was the key to changing the ​game."

Houssine Rahimi scored twice as Al-Ain beat Air Force Club 4-1 in Basra, while Hossein Goudarzi's 60th-minute goal gave Esteghlal a 2-1 victory over Al-Gharafa. Dostonbek Khamdamov converted a last-minute penalty to salvage a 1-1 draw for Pakhtakor against Brendan Rodgers' Al-Qadsiah in Tashkent, and Tractor were held to a 0-0 draw by Qatar's Al-Shamal.

The competition format stipulates that the top eight finishers in the 16-team league phase in both east and west Asia will progress to the knockout rounds.