An Unprecedented Thrashing
It was an unprecedented and unexpected result as Al-Ain played host to Al-Nassr at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium. The visitors, however, were subjected to a bitter experience as Al-Ain drilled in 4 goals to record a famous 4-0 thrashing of Al-Nassr on Matchday 1 of the AFC Champions League Elite. The Rahimi brothers were at the forefront of this decimation last night.
As It Happened
25′: Houssine Rahimi (1–0): Intercepted a short back pass from Saad Al Nasser to goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi and finished through the keeper’s legs.
63′: Houssine Rahimi (2–0): Tapped in a right-wing cross from Alejandro “Kaku” Romero at the far post, confirmed via VAR review.
72′: Soufiane Rahimi (3–0): Converted a close-range chance set up by Kaku, upheld after a lengthier VAR check.
85′: Giorgos Giakoumakis (4–0): Substituted late, exchanging a quick one-two with Soufiane Rahimi before placing a low shot into the bottom left corner.
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What Went Wrong For Al-Nassr
A Fragile Defence: Al Nassr struggled at the back, giving away the opener on a misjudged back pass and allowing space on fast breaks throughout the second half.
A Toothless Attack: Despite a front line featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, João Félix, and Sadio Mané, Al Nassr managed just 3 shots on target, with Ronaldo having a late free-kick saved by Khalid Eisa. The players looked tired and clueless. There was no inspiration coming from anywhere.
Al-Nassr plummet to the bottom
Al-Nassr, with this loss, find themselves at the bottom of Group B, while Al-Ain take pole position in the group.
An Excuse From Ange Postecoglou
Ange Postecoglou, Al-Nassr’s manager, just summed it up at the post-match press conference: ” We suffered a tough loss against Al-Ain, but our league schedule is one of the reasons”.
Al-Nassr Needs Good Bench Strength
Al-Nassr needs good bench strength to handle the tough schedules and give adequate rest to its ageing star players. But do they possess one? That is the question.
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