RIYADH: After a heavy 4-0 away defeat at the hands of Emirati side Al-Ain on Matchday 1, Al-Nassr kick-started their 2026/27 AFC Champions League Elite campaign on Monday with a 3-1 victory over Neftchi of Uzbekistan at Al-Awwal Park.
The match, scheduled to start at 9:15 p.m. local time, was delayed for an hour when the Saudi Civil Defense issued an alert in Riyadh just 15 minutes before kickoff. The stadium announcer reassured fans when the threat had passed and the players emerged for a 10-minute warm-up ahead of the rescheduled 10:15 p.m. start.
Angelo opened the scoring in the 33rd minute and celebrated alongside his teammates with a salute, in tribute to Saudi Arabia amid recent attacks against the Kingdom during the wider regional conflict. His goal came when he latched onto a cutback from Nawaf Boushal and put the ball past goalkeeper Botirali Ergashev.
Cristiano Ronaldo continued to edge ever closer to the career landmark of 1,000 goals when he grabbed No. 981, which was also his first of the tournament this season, in the 42nd minute. Aiman Yahya chested down a cross from Sadio Mane, directing it toward the captain, who turned and fired past Ergashev to extend the lead.
A Boushal error in the 54th minute gave Neftchi hope of a route back into the game, however, when he attempted to deal with a long ball by turning his back to it, only for his mishit clearance to fall for Alisher Odilov who made it 2-1.
Al-Nassr all but secured the three points in the 78th minute when Samu Costa was released down the byline, then his low cross was diverted by Anvar Gofurov into his own net.
There were some concerns for Al-Nassr ahead of an important Saudi Pro League clash with Al-Ahli on Thursday: Kingsley Coman was withdrawn in the 13th minute after picking up a hamstring injury, and Mohammed Simakan was also withdrawn injured, in the 65th minute, after a dangerous tackle that earned Ikromjon Alibaev a straight red card.
The Champions League action continues on Tuesday when Al-Hilal travel to Doha to face Al-Sadd, and Al-Ittihad host Shabab Al-Ahli of the UAE.