Duran and Ronaldo fire Al Nassr into Asian Champions League quarter-finals

Al Nassr's Jhon Duran scored two goals, and Cristiano Ronaldo successfully converted a penalty, leading the Saudi Pro League team to a 3-0 victory over Iran's Esteghlal on Monday, thereby securing a spot in the quarter-finals of the Asian Champions League. Meanwhile, Qatar's Al-Sadd triumphed over Al Wasl.

Akram Afif played a pivotal role in Al-Sadd's 3-1 win in Doha, contributing to the scoreline and guiding Felix Sanchez's team to a 4-2 aggregate victory against their opponents from the United Arab Emirates.

Al Nassr's victory in Riyadh followed a goalless draw in the first leg held in Tehran last week, propelling Stefano Pioli's squad into the quarter-finals, which are scheduled to take place in Jeddah as part of a centralized tournament from April 25th to May 3rd.

Duran opened the scoring for Al Nassr just nine minutes into the match, skillfully lifting the ball over Esteghlal goalkeeper Seyed Hossein Hosseini, who had inadvertently surrendered possession to the striker from 25 meters out.

The Saudis extended their lead with a penalty, as Cristiano Ronaldo confidently converted in the 27th minute following a poorly timed challenge by Mohammad Niknafs on Sadio Mane.

Esteghlal's chances were severely diminished when Mehran Ahmadi received a second yellow card for a foul late in the first half, striking Mohammed Al Fatil in the face with an errant arm.

Duran secured his second goal of the match six minutes before the final whistle, delivering a low shot into the bottom corner after previously hitting the post, allowing Al Nassr to advance comfortably.

"I think we played well," said Mane. "We created many chances and we scored three goals. I think we got our reward.

"We pressed well together, we pushed them and they made mistakes and from that we scored three goals. We have a clean sheet and we cannot expect more than this."

Al-Sadd advanced following a remarkable 11-minute period in the first half against Al Wasl, during which the Qatari team netted three goals to overturn an early lead established by Fabio Lima.

The Brazilian forward opened the scoring in the 10th minute, executing a first-time shot after Alexis Perez's cross had sailed over the Al-Sadd defense.

However, Al-Sadd equalized 16 minutes later when Afif skillfully breached the Al Wasl defense, driving towards the byline and delivering a pass to Mostafa Meshaal, who calmly finished into the bottom corner.

Youcef Atal then put Al-Sadd ahead in the 30th minute, cutting inside before unleashing a shot from a narrow angle that deflected off Al Wasl defender Jung Seung-hyun and past goalkeeper Khaled Al-Senaani.

The Asian Player of the Year, Afif, demonstrated his exceptional talent by scoring the third goal in the 37th minute. He initiated a short free kick with Claudinho and subsequently curled the return shot into the top corner from 20 meters out.