Asian Champions League: Cristiano Ronaldo scores twice in Al-Nassr's victory

Nassr`s Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo run to shoot the ball as Duhail`s Qatari defender #04 Yousef Aymen looks on during the AFC Champions League Group E football match between Saudi`s al-Nassr and Qatar’s al-Duhail at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh. Pic/AFP

Cristiano Ronaldo scored two second-half goals as Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr beat Al-Duhail of Qatar 4-3 in the Asian Champions League.

Al-Nassr has nine points from three games in Group E, three clear of Persepolis after the Iranian team defeated Tajikistan's Istiklol 2-0. Ronaldo's backheel set up Anderson Talisca for the opening goal and Sadio Mane doubled the lead before halftime. The Portugal star's left-footed curler from outside the area made it 3-0 before the hour mark. Al-Duhail pulled two goals back thanks to Ismaeel Mohammed and Almoez Ali.

Ronaldo intervened once more with nine minutes remaining as he volleyed a deep cross into the net, and Al-Nassr hung on after Michael Olunga's strike made it 4-3. On Monday Al-Hilal routed Mumbai City 6-0.

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Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a hat trick for the four-time champion to put Al-Hilal atop Group D with seven points from three games. In the absence of the injured Karim Benzema, a last-minute goal from Abderrazak Hamdallah gave Saudi Arabian champion Al-Ittihad a 1-0 win over Al Quwa Al Jawiya of Iraq. Al-Ittihad is two points clear of Iranian team Sepahan, which won 3-1 in Uzbekistan against AGMK, in Group C.

In the eastern zone the competition is divided into two geographic halves until the final two teams with three titles to their name met in Japan. Pohang Steelers of South Korea defeated host Urawa Reds 2-0, Jeong Jae-hee scored the opener midway through the first half and Goh Young-jun added a second.

Pohang is atop Group J with three wins out of three and five points clear of Urawa and Wuhan Three Towns after the Chinese champion beat Vietnam's Hanoi FC 2-1. Two-time champion Ulsan Hyundai Horangi of South Korea defeated Malaysia's Johor Darul Tazim 3-1 but stays second in Group I behind Japan's Kawasaki Frontale, which won 4-2 at Thailand's BG Pathum United.

(With agency inputs)