Harambee Stars’ captain, Michael Olunga, showcased his scoring prowess, but it wasn’t enough to secure victory for his club, Al Duhail, as they succumbed to a 4-3 defeat against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in an action-packed AFC Champions League clash, on Tuesday night.
Olunga demonstrated his scoring ability by finding the back of the net in the 85th minute, a mere four minutes after Cristiano Ronaldo had completed his brace.
However, despite Olunga’s late heroics, Al Duhail couldn’t engineer a remarkable comeback and ended up on the losing side.
Cristiano Ronaldo played a pivotal role in Al Nassr’s performance, providing a backheel assist that led to Brazilian Talisca’s opening goal in the 25th minute.
Senegalese international Sadio Mane further extended Al Nassr’s lead by doubling the score 11 minutes into the second half.
The tide seemed overwhelmingly in favour of Al Nassr when Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first of two goals with his weaker left foot in the 60th minute, making it 3-0.
Nevertheless, Al Duhail mounted a spirited comeback, narrowing the gap with two quick goals. Ismail Mohammed found the back of the net in the 63rd minute, and Almoez Ali, the team’s skipper, brought them within striking distance of Nassr with a goal in the 67th minute.
Their resurgence, however, was short-lived as Cristiano Ronaldo completed his brace in the 81st minute, restoring Al Nassr’s two-goal lead at 4-2.
Olunga’s late strike in the 85th minute injected some tension into the closing moments of the match. Still, Al Duhail couldn’t complete the remarkable comeback, resulting in a 4-3 defeat.
Al Duhail remains in the third position in Group E of the Champions League after suffering their second consecutive loss. They have accumulated just one point from their earlier goalless draw against Tajikistan’s FC Istiklol.
