In this season's AFC Champions League, Riyadh Victory showed strong competitiveness, with five wins and one draw in the group stage allowing them to break through easily. In the first leg of the knockout round against fellow team Faha, Cristiano Ronaldo's quasi-stunner gave the team the lead. And on this decisive match day, Riyadh returned to home with a clear goal - to qualify for the last eight of the AFC Champions League.
In order to ensure victory, coach Castro sent a number of foreign players to play. In a 4-2-3-1 system, Cristiano Ronaldo continued to be the team's attacking arrowhead, with Sadio Mane, Otavio and Brozovic forming a formidable combination up front, while Aymeric Laporte stuck to the back. It is worth mentioning that this is the first time that Ma Ning has officiated Cristiano Ronaldo's game in the AFC Champions League, which has also attracted special attention from fans.
As soon as the match began, Riyadh Victory launched a fierce offensive in the hope of taking the lead as soon as possible. With only three minutes played, Cristiano Ronaldo was tripped in the box, but the referee did not award a penalty and ruled it offside.
In the 17th minute, Riyadh Victory finally broke the deadlock. Haybari sent in a long pass over the top with precision, and Otavio stepped in in time to head the goal, 1-0! Otavio scored the winning goal in his last game and this time he once again gave the team the lead and was in red-hot form.
In the games that followed, Cristiano Ronaldo had a number of chances to open the scoring, but the ball either hit the post or was saved by the opposing goalkeeper. In the second minute after the start of the second half, Cristiano Ronaldo received a pass from a teammate and single-handedly passed the opposing goalkeeper, but the referee again ruled that he was offside.
In the course of the game, Ronaldo was repeatedly severely defended by opponents, and was even brought down in the penalty area, but the referee did not award a penalty. In the end, in the 86th minute of the game, Ronaldo seized the mistake of the opponent's goalkeeper and calmly pushed the empty goal, 2-0! Riyadh Victory extended their lead again to 3-0 on aggregate.
It is worth mentioning that this game also made Ronaldo's personal goal tally rise again. He scored in three consecutive competitive games to take his club career tally to 748 and his total to 876, both of which set a new record for himself. If penalties are not counted, Ronaldo's career goal tally is 715, continuing to lead his old rival Lionel Messi.
In the end, Riyadh won two legs and defeated Feiha 3-0 and successfully advanced to the top 8 of the AFC Champions League. The victory not only showed the quality of the team, but also proved Ronaldo's individual ability. In the future matches, I hope Riyadh Victory can continue to maintain this form and bring more exciting matches to the fans.
Looking back on this game, we saw the spirit of unity and hard work in Riyadh victory, and also appreciated Ronaldo's indomitable progress. It was a victory for the team to celebrate and a boost of confidence in their future prospects in the AFC Champions League.
In football, every game is full of uncertainty and passion. How far do you think Riyadh Victory can go in the AFC Champions League in the future? What is Ronaldo's role in the team? Feel free to leave a message to share your views and opinions!