MENA Sports Wrap: Ronaldo scores on Al-Nassr return after boycott

Al-Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo scored on his return to the side after a two-week protest against the Saudi Investment Fund, and scored a goal to mark the occasion. In Egypt, CAF said it is investigating the match between Al-Ahly and Morocco's AS FAR following violent conduct from fans, meanwhile, Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia continued their winning streak in the AFC Champions League.

Ronaldo scores for Al-Nassr after two-week protest

Cristiano Ronaldo made his return to Al-Nassr on Saturday after boycotting the Saudi club for two matches, and scored to mark his return.

The Portuguese superstar was among the starting XI and the team’s captain, went on to lead Al-Nassr to a  2-0 win against Al-Fateh, as well as close the gap between themselves and rivals Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League.

Ronaldo had sights on a goal as early as 34 seconds into the match, after meeting Kingsley Coman’s pass, but sent his volley wide.

The Portuguese found the back of the net eventually in the 18th minute for Al-Nassr, who dominated their hosts in the lead-up to the goal.

Ronaldo converted Sadio Mane’s pass in the penalty box to make it 1-0 for the visitors in under 20 minutes. The goal was the Portuguese’s first since turning 41 on  February. 

Al-Nassr managed to double their lead after substitute Ayman Yahya scored in the 78th minute. The Falcons could have won the game with a third goal had VAR not disallowed Mohamed Simakan’s tap-in earlier in the second half.

Since earlier this month, Ronaldo refused to play for Al-Nassr in protest against the Saudi Investment Fund’s (PIF) lack of financial support for the Riyadh club during the transfer window, while rivals Al-Hilal bought his former Real Madrid teammate, Karim Benzema, form Al-Ittihad.

According to ESPN, Ronaldo decided to return to the pitch for Saturday's league match after the PIF met his main demands, chiefly the payment of Al-Nassr's overdue salaries and management autonomy being restored to the club's top executives.

On Wednesday, the Saudi club faced Turkmenistan's FC Arkadag without Ronaldo in their first leg of the AFC Champions League 2’s knockout stage, in the country’s capital, Ashgabat.

Al-Nassr took the lead early in the game in the 19th minute, thanks to Abdullah Al-Ahmad. The scoreline remained 0-1 until the final whistle, giving the Saudi team an advantage before the second leg is due to take place. Al-Nassr face Arkadag at home on Wednesday.

Crowd behaviour mars AS FAR-Al-Ahly clash a CAF Champions League group stages end

The Sunday night African Champions League clash between Morocco’s AS FAR and Egypt’s Al-Ahly saw the game end 0-0, securing the Rabat side’s qualification for the competition’s next stage.

The weekend’s CAF games were the sixth and final round of the CAF Champions League group stage.

The tense match, played at Cairo’s International Stadium, saw both sides struggling to break the deadlock, but the Egyptian giants commanded the majority of the possession and shots on target.

Their efforts, however, could not break down the Moroccan military club’s defence, whose total of 9 points in Group B earned them a spot in the quarterfinals.

The game was marred by crowd trouble, as Al-Ahly fans began pelting objects and throwing bottles from the stands, causing the game to be halted for several minutes in the second half.

Objects were also seen thrown towards fans from varying parts of the stadium. Egyptian media outlets also reported that a number of Rabat fans attempted to invade the field after a clash between the two teams.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced an official investigation into the events that occurred during the match, and called Sunday night’s behaviour "unacceptable" after AS FAR filed a complaint.

The governing body said it would refer the matter to its Disciplinary Committee to investigate and sanction all parties involved. CAF also stressed "the importance of clubs adhering to disciplinary regulations and taking measures to prevent any form of violence or crowd disruption that could compromise the integrity of competitions".

Al-Ahly, on Monday, rejected the complaint, saying that some Moroccan fans attempted to storm the Egyptian club’s stands, provoking a reaction, before the disorderly behaviour ensued.

The club also accused AS FAR fans of similar conduct during the first leg in November, and chose not to file a complaint in a bid to preserve "good relations" with the side.

The final round of the group stage saw Sudan’s Al Hilal beat Congolese outfit Saint-Eloi Lupopo 1-0, MC Alger losing 2-0 to last year’s finalists Mamelodi Sundowns, and Esperance de Tunis securing a 2-0 win over Petro de Luanda.

Morocco’s RS Berkane beat Nigerian side Rivers United 3-0, Egypt’s Pyramids also scored three goals to beat Zambia’s Power Dynamos FC, while Algerian side JS Kabylie lost 3-0 to Tanzania’s Young African.

The quarter-final stage will feature a strong North and East African presence, with the likes of AS FAR and RS Berkane from Morocco, Egypt’s Pyramids and Al Ahly, Esperance de Tunis, and Sudan’s Al-Hilal.

AFC Champions League group stage sees mostly Arab wins

This week will also see the final round of the AFC Champions League group stage matches. On Monday, Iraqi side Al-Shorta faced Qatar’s Al-Duhail, who went 1-0 up within 10 minutes, following a stunning bicycle kick from Krzysztof Piatek.

Bassam Shakir soon equalised for the home side, levelling the game. The Qatari side went up again just before the break, after Benjamin Bourigeaud successfully converted a penalty kick from the spot.

At the 55th minute mark, Bouly Sambou emerged as the hero of the Iraqi side, thumping in a pass from Shakir, and minutes later, scoring the winning goal, with the match ending 3-2.

Saudi Arabia’s two sides, Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli, both won their bouts.

Former Liverpool man Darwin Nunez scored twice for his club against Emirati side Al-Wahda. The Uruguayan opened the scoreline in the 19th minute after heading in Ruben Neves’ curled freekick.

But Al-Wahda managed to level the game 13 minutes later, after Brahima Diarra headed in the equaliser.

But Nunez, who has been left out of Al-Hilal’s squad following the arrival of Karim Benzema, was determined to prove his worth, and continued the club’s unbeaten streak after he slid the ball in at the far post from a low cross in the 77th minute.

The match between Al-Ahli and the UAE’s Shabab Al-Ahli saw a frenzy of goals on Monday.

Feras Albrikan opened for the home side after tapping in Riyad Mahrez’s pass in the 12th minute. Al-Ahli soon went up again after an own goal from Bogdan Planic.

Enzo Millot and Saleh Abu Al-Shamat were also on target for Al-Ahli. But a successive three goals from the Emirati side put the hosts’ lead in jeopardy. The match, however, ended 4-3 in favour of the Saudis , securing them a much-needed three points.

The other Emirati side in the competition, Sharjah, lost to Uzbek outfit PFC Nasaf at home. An own goal put the visitors in the lead at the 30-minute mark, with the result remaining 1-0 towards the end of the second half, after a penalty from Caio Lucas.

Sharjah’s hopes to end the game with one point were dashed after Diyorbek Abdunazarov scored the winning goal for Nasaf, minutes before the full-time whistle was blown.

The remaining AFC Champions games will take place later on Tuesday, featuring the likes of Al-Ittihad and Al-Gharafa.