Al Ain humble Ronaldo and Al Nassr with 4-0 AFC Champions League win
Rahimi brothers lead dominant display at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium
ABU DHABI – Cristiano Ronaldo’s much-anticipated return to the UAE ended in disappointment as Al Ain swept aside Al Nassr 4-0 in their AFC Champions League Elite opener on Tuesday.
The Saudi Pro League champions were outplayed at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium as Houssine Rahimi scored twice before his brother Soufiane added a third and Giorgos Giakoumakis completed the rout. The result gave Al Ain three points and left Ronaldo and Al Nassr bottom of the West region standings after the opening round.
The defeat was Ronaldo’s heaviest since joining Al Nassr in 2023, and provided a dramatic twist to a fixture that had attracted huge attention across the UAE.
Al Ain vs Al Nassr
Al Ain made the breakthrough in the 25th minute after Houssine Rahimi capitalised on an under-hit back-pass from Saad Al Nasser. The Al Ain forward intercepted the ball and finished through goalkeeper Nawaf Al Aqidi to give the hosts the lead.
Al Nassr struggled to turn possession into clear opportunities and went into the interval trailing 1-0.
Houssine struck again in the 63rd minute, finishing from inside the area to double Al Ain’s advantage. His second goal opened the floodgates as the UAE side continued to expose gaps in the Saudi champions’ defence.
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— نادي العين (@alainfcae) September 15, 2026
Nine minutes later, Soufiane Rahimi added a third after being played through by Alejandro Romero. He stayed onside before driving his finish into the bottom corner.
Giakoumakis then completed the scoring in the 85th minute, with Soufiane Rahimi supplying the assist.
Ronaldo frustrated
Ronaldo endured a quiet night despite starting and captaining Al Nassr.
The 41-year-old finished without a goal and had five attempts, with one on target, according to match reports. He also had only three touches inside Al Ain’s penalty area. His clearest opportunity came late in the match when his free-kick was saved by Al Ain goalkeeper Khalid Eisa.
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— نادي النصر السعودي (@AlNassrFC) September 15, 2026
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Al Nassr actually finished with more possession and more total attempts than their hosts, but Al Ain were considerably more effective in front of goal. The UAE side had 43 per cent possession to Al Nassr’s 57 percent, while Al Nassr registered 15 shots to Al Ain’s 14. Al Ain, however, produced seven shots on target compared with three from the visitors.
The result also revived memories of the clubs’ previous continental meetings.
Soufiane Rahimi was among the key figures when Al Ain eliminated Al Nassr in the 2023/24 AFC Champions League quarter-finals. He scored in the first leg in Al Ain before the UAE club eventually progressed on penalties after Al Nassr won the return leg 4-3 after extra time.
More than two years later, Al Ain once again proved a difficult opponent for Ronaldo’s side on home soil.
AFC Champions League Elite
The defeat leaves Al Nassr without a point or a goal after the opening matchday of the 2026/27 AFC Champions League Elite. Al Ain, meanwhile, move to the top of the West region standings with three points and a four-goal difference.
The competition features separate West and East regions, with the top eight teams from each region advancing from the league phase to the knockout rounds. Al Nassr therefore still have seven league-phase matches to recover from their opening setback.
For Ronaldo, the defeat also came at a significant stage of his career. The Portuguese star has indicated that the 2026/27 season could be his final campaign, adding further attention to his remaining appearances for Al Nassr.
His next opportunity in the UAE is currently scheduled for February 15, 2027, when Al Nassr are due to face Shabab Al Ahli in Dubai.