Cristiano Ronaldo at the double! Al-Nassr hero leads the way in comfortable win against Al-Gharafa as Saudi side remain unbeaten in AFC Champions League

Al-Nassr have not been showing top form so far this season as they have struggled to get regular wins in the Saudi Pro League, however, they were at their absolute best against Qatar Stars League side Al-Gharafa in their matchday five clash of the AFC Champions League at Al Bayt Stadium.

The Saudi Pro League side dominated the proceedings from the outset of the clash in Qatar with Ronaldo coming close to scoring the opener from outside the box after just three minutes, but was denied by a Sergio Rico save. The same was the case when the five-time Ballon d'Or winner let rip a shot from the edge of the box. Despite their continued dominance, those two attempts from Ronaldo were the only shots on target through the first half.

However, it wasn't long after the start of the second half that the former Real Madrid star was able to beat the Spaniard with a header after a delightful cross by Sultan Al-Ghannam found Ronaldo at the edge of the six-yard box. After getting the lead on the night, Al-Nassr switched into another gear as Angelo and Otavio combined for a delightful one-two before the former's delightful footwork allowed him to beat Rico and slot the ball into the back of the net to double the lead for the visitors just before the hour mark. Ronaldo then managed to double his tally on the night as Angelo found the Portugal captain in acres of space before Ronaldo sat the defender down with a perfect dummy and slotted the ball into Rico's side netting to virtually put Al-Nassr past Al-Gharafa's reach.

However, after Al-Nassr's third goal of the night, Al-Gharafa turned up the heat as the Saudi Pro League side seemed to ease off the pedal. Following a triple change by Stefano Pioli, which saw Ronaldo replaced by Brazilian forward Wesley, former Real Madrid man and Al-Gharafa striker Joselu managed to claw one goal back after he rallied onto a save by Al-Nassr's Bento and slotted it past the stricken goalkeeper. Nonetheless, the goal was nothing but a consolation for the Qatari side who saw defender Seydou Sano sent off soon after which ceded any sort of hopes for a comeback as Al-Nassr grew back into the game for a comfortable 3-1 win at Al Bayt Stadium.

Ronaldo was able to turn back the years and put Al-Nassr on his back as his brace helped the Saudi Pro League side put the game beyond Al-Gharafa's reach. The Portuguese international managed to let off a total of eight shots throughout the game with four shots finding the target. The Al-Nassr captain also managed to accrue two key passes through the game but did not get any assists as opportunities were squandered.

Al-Gharafa's defence had a night to forget at Al Bayt Stadium against Ronaldo and Co. as they were not able to contain the constant threat posed by Al-Nassr and allowed their attack acres of space, allowing Pioli's side to keep control of the clash throughout the game. Abdalla Yousif, Matias Nani and Sano did not communicate well enough in the backline during Ronaldo's opener before Sano was caught out by Angelo for the second goal. The third goal saw Yousif and Wajdi Kechrida allow Ronaldo to stay in plenty of space before the former was sat down with a simple dummy by Ronaldo.

Al-Nassr will likely drop down to third in the AFC Champions League group standings when Al-Hilal play their game in hand later this week. Nonetheless, Pioli's side will look to take this positive result into their next clash when they host Damac in the Saudi Pro League on Friday, November 29.