Cristiano Ronaldo was on target as Al-Nassr survived a scare in the Asian Champions League on Monday with the Saudi Pro League side coming from a goal down to hand Tajikistan’s Istiklol a 3-1 defeat in Riyadh. Senin Sebai scored on the break to put the club from Dushanbe in front with a minute left in the first half and Istiklol held out under relentless pressure until Ronaldo levelled with a clever clipped finish in the 66th minute.
Anderson Talisca headed the Saudi outfit in front six minutes later and the Brazilian put the result beyond doubt with 13 minutes remaining when he stroked a low shot into the corner.
The victory was Al-Nassr’s second in a row in the group stage of the competition and moves Luis Castro’s side three points clear at the top of Group E. Iran’s Persepolis are in second place following a 1-0 win over Al Duhail of Qatar, with Omid Alishah scoring in the 63rd minute to earn the 2018 and 2020 runners-up their first victory of the campaign.
Al-Ittihad’s meeting with Iran’s Sepahan in Group C was called off as players from the Saudi club refused to leave their dressing room due to a statue of assassinated Iranian general Qasem Soleimani being placed at the entrance to the pitch.
The Asian Football Confederation said the game, which was due to be played in Isfahan’s Naghsh-e Jahan Stadium, had been “cancelled due to unanticipated and unforeseen circumstances”.
Source: SABC
In other news – Thando Thabethe wins Best Actress in a Comedy TV at SAFTAs 2023
Thando Thabethe won an award at the South African Film and Television Awards 2023, which took place on Saturday, 30th of September.
She won the Best Actress in a TV Comedy, for her role in How to Ruin A Christmas season 3. Taking to social media, she shared photos of herself holding the award and penned a note of gratitude. She also talked about how she turned her pain into comedy, which bagged her a win. Read more
