Ronaldo rested as Al-Nassr beats Goa 2-1 in Asian Champions League 2

MARGAO, India (AP) — Without star Cristiano Ronaldo, Saudi club Al-Nassr beat FC Goa 2-1 on Wednesday to maintain its perfect record in the Asian Champions League Two.

Ronaldo, who signed a two-year contract extension with the Saudi club in July, stayed in Riyadh to rest while Al-Nassr traveled to India.

The Saudi club took the lead with goals from Brazilian winger Angelo Gabriel and Haroune Camara before Brison Fernandes pulled one back for Goa. But it wasn’t enough to stop Al-Nassr winning a third consecutive game in Asia’s second-tier continental club championship.

In the AFC Champions League Elite, Al-Hilal extended its winning run to four games with a 3-1 victory over Qatar’s Al-Sadd. Turkish midfielder Yusuf Akcicek opened the scoring in the 25th minute, and former Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly doubled the lead just before halftime.

Al-Sadd cut the deficit in the second half through Roberto Firmino, but Sergej Milinkovic-Savic sealed the win for Al-Hilal nine minutes from time.

Al-Hilal, a four-time champion, leads the western group of the 24-team tournament, which is split into two geographic zones. The top eight teams from each zone advance to the knockout stage.

“The first half was excellent, and in the second half our opponents regained confidence and played better,” Al-Hilal coach Simone Inzaghi said. “We didn’t start well in the first 15 minutes, but we came out with the win and remain on top of the table.”

In the eastern zone, South Korean clubs prevailed over Japanese opposition. Two-time champion Ulsan HD moved into first place with a 1-0 win over Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and Gangwon FC edged second-place Vissel Kobe 4-3 to draw level on points.

In Asian Champions League action Monday, former AC Milan coach Sergio Conceição earned his first win in charge of Saudi club Al-Ittihad with a 4-1 victory over Al-Shorta of Iraq.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer