HighLights
  1. Angelo opened the scoring in the 33rd minute before Ronaldo doubled Al-Nassr’s lead.
  2. Kick-off was postponed after Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence issued a security alert amid a reported missile.
  3. Alisher Odilov pulled one back for Neftchi.

Cristiano Ronaldo was back on the scoresheet as Al-Nassr secured a 3-1 victory over Neftchi Fergana in the AFC Champions League Elite on Monday.

Nonetheless, the result was certainly not the single takeaway from Riyadh, as a security alert postponed the start of the match, making the fans wait for the action to kick off.

The match was meant to start at Al-Awwal Park when the security alert was issued right before the start of the match. The warning was given amid news about missile attacks being targeted at the Saudi capital, which made authorities carry out checks before allowing the match to take place.

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The Civil Defence of Saudi Arabia issued the warning about 15 minutes before the match was scheduled to start. The Saudi-led military operations group announced that they had intercepted and destroyed the missiles fired from Yemen by the Houthi militants. Explosions were also reported in the city.

Meanwhile, as experts investigated the situation, the start of the match was postponed. The match finally took place after the threats right before the event were eliminated.

Why Was Al-Nassr vs Neftchi Delayed?

The delay was linked to the reported missile threat to Riyadh, which triggered a security alert just before kick-off. Authorities needed time to assess the situation and ensure it was safe for the match to take place.

The Saudi-led coalition confirmed that the missile had been intercepted and destroyed. The incident came amid heightened regional tensions and recent attacks targeting Saudi Arabia. 

Once the match got underway, Al-Nassr turned their attention to football and delivered a strong performance.

Ronaldo Scores As Al-Nassr Secure Victory

In the 33rd minute, Angelo Gabriel scored the first goal for Al-Nassr with a deflected shot, and then, soon before the half-time mark, Ronaldo made it 2-0.

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Ronaldo scored on the turn when he received the ball from Sadio Mané at close range, bringing him to a spectacular tally of 981 goals in his amazing career.

Neftchi didn’t let go and scored one goal back at the start of the second half thanks to Alisher Odilov, giving fans hope of a comeback.

In the 65th minute of the match, Ikromjon Alibaev was sent off, making it harder for Neftchi to replace men. Al-Nassr seized the opportunity and scored an own goal in the 78th minute thanks to Anvarjon Gofurov, bringing the score to 3-1.


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