Real Madrid Star Ronaldo Misses as Al-Nassr Clinches Third Champions League Asia Victory

Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr secured their third straight victory in the AFC Champions League 2, beating FC Goa 2-1 in India on Wednesday. The win came without their biggest stars, including Cristiano Ronaldo, but still puts them firmly in control of Group 4 with a perfect record.

Al-Nassr took control early at Goa's home ground. Brazilian midfielder Angelo Gabriel opened the scoring in the 10th minute after receiving a well-placed pass from Abdulrahman Ghareeb, firing a powerful shot into the right corner of the net.

The Saudi club kept up the pressure and doubled their lead in the 27th minute. Haroun Camara collected the ball inside the penalty area and calmly slotted it past the goalkeeper to make it 2-0.

FC Goa managed to pull one back before halftime when Brison Fernandes connected with a pass from teammate Dejan Drazic and found the back of the net in the 41st minute. But that's as close as the Indian side would get.

The second half saw Goa push for an equalizer. Boris Singh had the best chance in the 67th minute when he found himself one-on-one with the keeper, but Al-Nassr's Brazilian goalkeeper Bento made a crucial save to preserve the lead.

Al-Nassr had their own opportunities to extend the margin. Ayman Yahya tried his luck with a long-range effort in the 78th minute, but his shot sailed just wide of the post.

The match ended with some drama as Goa's David Timor received a red card in stoppage time, adding to his team's frustrations.

In the other Group 4 match, Tajikistan's Istiklol defeated Iraq's Al-Zawraa 2-1, keeping them in second place.

The group standings now show Al-Nassr at the top with a perfect nine points from three matches. Istiklol sits second with six points, while Al-Zawraa has three points and FC Goa remains winless with zero points.

Both teams will meet again on November 5th, but this time Al-Nassr will host Goa in Riyadh. Al-Zawraa will face Istiklol in Baghdad on the same day.

The top two teams from each of the eight groups advance to the Round of 16. With their commanding position, Al-Nassr looks well-positioned to secure one of those spots, even while managing their star players' workload across multiple competitions.