Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first goal of 2024 to give Al Nassr a 1-0 victory over Saudi club Al Fayha on Wednesday in the first leg of their Asian Champions League round of 16 tie.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United striker ended a frustrating night for Luis Castro's team when he took advantage of Marcelo Brozovic's lofted pass to volley past Vladimir Stojkovic in the 81st minute to give Al Nassr the victory.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (US)
The teams will meet in the second leg in Riyadh next Wednesday with a place in the quarterfinals at stake.
Stojkovic had denied Ronaldo, 39, from close range in first-half stoppage time as both teams struggled to find a way forward.
His header in the 64th minute was deflected by the Serbian goalkeeper before Anderson Talisca's header went just wide.
Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images
With time running out, Ronaldo passed the ball to Brozovic on the edge of the area before bursting into the area to meet his teammate's circular pass with a right-footed shot that went into the top corner.
Meanwhile, Al-Ain of the United Arab Emirates drew 0-0 with Nasaf of Uzbekistan at the Markaziy Stadium in Qarshi.
Soufiane Rahimi almost broke the deadlock when he hit the crossbar in first-half stoppage time with a curling free kick.
Harry Kewell was denied a winning start to life as Yokohama F. Marinos manager when Mahmoud Eid's injury-time header earned hosts Bangkok United a 2-2 draw against the Japanese team.
Australian Kewell took over after compatriot Kevin Muscat resigned at the end of the 2023 season and goals from Elber and Kota Watanabe gave Marinos a two-goal lead in the first 24 minutes of the first leg at Thammasat Stadium .
Nitipong Selanon scored 10 minutes before the break and Eid equalized two minutes into stoppage time with a header. Marinos' Ken Matsubara was ejected with seconds remaining.
The teams will meet in the second leg in Yokohama next Wednesday.
Jeonbuk Hyundai took the lead in their South Korean battle against Pohang Steelers at the Jeonju World Cup Stadium when goals from Hernandes and Ahn Hyeon-beom gave Dan Petrescu's team a 2-0 lead in the first leg.
On Tuesday, Kawasaki Frontale earned a 3-2 victory over Chinese Super League side Shandong Taishan to take a narrow lead into the second leg in Japan.
Information from Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
