SAUDI ARABIA Cristiano Ronaldo’s late goal helped Al Nassr hold Zamalek 1-1, to qualify for the group stage of the Arab Club Champions Cup 2023.

Al Nassr faced the prospect of being eliminated in the group stage until the 87th minute, when defender Ghislain Konan broke through on the left and then crossed for Ronaldo to score a goal from close to 10 meters. The score at 1-1 was enough for Al Nassr to enter the group stage, but the Portuguese superstar still quickly hugged the ball to the middle of the field with the goal of scoring more goals. Despite not being able to do that, Ronaldo and his teammates still won a place in the quarterfinals with second place in Group C.

The Arab Club Champions Cup is an annual tournament for Arab clubs in the Middle East and North Africa. Al Nassr attended this year’s tournament at the invitation of the Arab Football Association, without having to play in the qualifiers. The tournament took place from July 27 to August 12, with 16 teams divided into four groups, four teams each, choosing the top two teams to advance to the quarterfinals.

After three matches, Al Nassr won one, drew two, took five points and finished second in Group C behind Al Shabab. Zamalek, representing Egypt, finished third with four points and was eliminated. Of the eight teams that entered the quarterfinals, there were four representatives from Saudi Arabia, Al Nassr, Al Shabab, Al Hilal and Al Ittihad. Ronaldo and his teammates will meet Raja (Morocco) club in the quarterfinals on August 6.

Ronaldo did not score in the first match against Al Shabab, but scored to help the home team beat Union Monastirienne (Tunisia) 4-1 in the second match. Al Nassr was suddenly led by Zamalek in the last round, but escaped defeat thanks to Ronaldo. At the end, there were spectators on the King Fahd field setting off flares to celebrate Al Nassr’s achievement.

With two goals at the tournament, Ronaldo is also second in the race of the top scorer. Leading the way was striker Karim Benzema as he scored three goals in three games for Al Ittihad. All three goals were decisive, helping Al Ittihad win the group stage. Their opponent in the quarterfinals is Al Hilal on August 5.

Ronaldo also raised his career achievement to 840 goals, a world record. In the next match, he is likely to play next to rookie Sadio Mane, helping Al Nassr increase his attack power. Luis Castro’s teachers and students aim for the first title for Al Nassr since 2020.