Al‑Ain thrash Al‑Nassr as Ronaldo endures a nightmare opener

Al‑Ain opened their AFC Champions League Elite campaign in emphatic fashion, dismantling Al‑Nassr 4–0 and handing Cristiano Ronaldo a night to forget. Houssine Rahimi struck first on 24 minutes, and although Ronaldo briefly thought he had equalised, his finish was ruled out for offside. Rahimi continued to torment the visitors, seeing another effort disallowed before half‑time. After the break, Al‑Ain tightened their grip, with Rahimi doubling the lead on 62 minutes and Soufiane Rahimi adding a third soon after. Substitute Georgios Giakoumakis completed the rout with an 84th‑minute finish.

Al‑Nassr struggled badly throughout, rarely troubling goalkeeper Khalid Eissa and failing to generate meaningful chances beyond isolated set‑piece moments. Ronaldo played the full match but could do little to prevent a humbling defeat in a competition he has yet to conquer. The result marks a disastrous start for Al‑Nassr, who begin their continental journey in the worst possible fashion.