Al Nassr 1-0 Arkadag FK: Ghareeb's early winner helps Ronaldo-less hosts qualify

With a goal in the first minute of the game, Al-Nassr defeated Arkadag and secured their place in the next phase of the AFC Champions League Two.

Match Report

Al-Nassr secured its qualification to the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League 2 after renewing its superiority over Turkmenistan's Arkadag with a 1-0 victory in the second leg of the Round of 16.

The match took place on Wednesday evening at Al-Awwal Park Stadium in Riyadh, where the Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus fielded a lineup that included Nawaf Al-Aqidi, Iñigo Martinez, Ali Al-Hassan, Abdulrahman Gharib, and Abdullah Al-Hamdan.

Al-Nassr surprised its guest early, as Abdulrahman Ghareeb scored the first goal in the second minute after a precise cross from Nawaf Boushal, which he placed into the net with a direct shot.

"Al-Alami" maintained their lead throughout both halves, with limited attempts from the Turkmenistan team, which failed to equalize despite some counter-attacks.

In the final moments, the referee showed a red card to Arkadag player Gochmyrat Annaguliyev after consulting the video assistant referee, leaving his team to finish the match with one player less.

With this victory, Al-Nassr qualifies with a 2-0 aggregate score in the home and away matches, setting up a quarter-final clash with the UAE's Al-Wasl.

Line-ups

Al Nassr FC XI: I. Martinez, Abdullah Al-Hamdan, Abdulrahman Ghareeb, Ali Al-Hassan, Nader Al-Sharari, Nawaf Boushal, Ayman Yahya, Nawaf Al-Aqidi, Mohammed Marran, Ângelo, Salem Al Najdi

Subs: Brozovic, Mane, Coman, Sultan Al-Ghannam, Felix, Abdullah Alkhaibari, Abdulelah Al-Amri, Mohamed Simakan, Bento, Hayder Abdulkareem, Saad Haqawi, Mubarak Al-Buainain

Arkadag FK XI: Mekan Saparov, Velmyrat Ballakov, Guychmyrat Annagulyyev, Abdy Byashimov, Ibrayym Mammedov, Mirza Beknazarov, Shamammed Khydyrov, Arzuvguly Sapargulyev, Rasul Charyyev, Dayanch Meredov, Yazgylych Gurbanov

Subs: Ahmet Atayev, Didar Durdyyev, Resul Khozhaev, Yhlas Saparmammedov, Begench Akmammedov, Berdimurad Rezhebov, Rakhman Muratberdyev, Ykhlas Toydzhanov, Meylis Diniyev, Rustem Ahallyyev, Ilyas Charyyev, Bayram Atayev