João Félix scored twice and created two more as Al Nassr, with Cristiano Ronaldo rested, beat Pakhtakor 6-2 in Tashkent in the AFC Champions League Elite. Sadio Mané set up two goals, and Al Nassr led 3-1 at half-time on their way to a four-goal margin.
Tashkent, Uzbekistan: Al Nassr travelled to Uzbekistan without Ronaldo, the man who so often decides their nights. They barely noticed. By the time Pakhtakor scored their first goal, Al Nassr already had three.
Félix takes control
The opening came in the 15th minute. Félix threaded a through ball and Abdullah Al-Hamdan shifted his body away from his marker before finishing. Two minutes later Félix scored himself, pouncing after a Pakhtakor defensive error left the ball loose. He added a second in the 32nd, a low finish into the bottom-left corner from a cutback by Mané.
Pakhtakor pulled one back through Flamarion in the 36th minute, a goal confirmed after a VAR check. The hosts had earlier had a goal by Akmal Mozgovoy ruled out for offside after review.
Al Nassr pull away
The second half belonged to the visitors. Abdulelah Al-Amri headed home a Félix corner in the 53rd minute, and Abdulrahman Ghareeb made it 5-1 in the 62nd, finishing a counter-attack set up by Mané. Dostonbek Khamdamov gave Pakhtakor a second with a close-range finish in the 75th, but Ângelo restored the four-goal margin four minutes later, tapping in a cross from Al-Hamdan.
What it means
The win keeps Al Nassr moving in the West Region of the 16-team league stage, where the top eight advance to the round of 16. Ronaldo’s absence did not blunt the attack: Félix finished with two goals and two assists, Mané added two assists, and five different players scored.
Result: Pakhtakor 2-6 Al Nassr (AFC Champions League Elite, West Region, matchday 4, Tashkent, Monday 2 November). Al Nassr goals: Al-Hamdan 15′, Félix 17′ and 32′, Al-Amri 53′, Ghareeb 62′, Ângelo 79′. Pakhtakor goals: Flamarion 36′, Khamdamov 75′. Half-time: Pakhtakor 1-3 Al Nassr.
