Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 21st goal of the season and fourth in the Asian Champions League on Wednesday, helping Al Nassr defeat Al Fayha 1-0 in an all-Saudi last-16 match.
At the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium in Riyadh, the 39-year-old Portuguese star struggled to make an impact against a club ranked 14th in the Saudi Pro League.
Al Fayha was one of only two teams in the domestic league to keep Ronaldo from scoring, and their run appeared to be extended for a third match.
Then, in the 81st minute, Ronaldo sprinted forward and volleyed the ball over the head of charging goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic after a quick 1-2 with Marcelo Brozovic.
Ronaldo had earlier squandered a much easier chance on the stroke of halftime, but Stojkovic saved his feeble shot.
In other matches on Wednesday, Bangkok United scored a stoppage-time goal against Yokohama F Marinos to force a 2-2 draw, while FC Nasaf and Al Ain played to a scoreless tie.
South Korea’s Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors are on the verge of advancing to the quarterfinals after defeating Pohang Steelers 2-0.
Jeonbuk, the 2006 and 2016 champions, opened the scoring in the 17th minute through Brazilian attacker Hernandes, and Ahn Hyun-beom extended the lead in the 64th.
Bangkok United’s substitute Mahmoud Eid scored a header in the 92nd minute to help the Thai team come back from a 2-0 deficit at Thammasat Stadium in Pathum Thani.
Nitipong Selanon had narrowed the gap with three minutes left in the first half.
Elber scored the first goal for the visiting Japanese team in the 18th minute, and Watanabe scored the second in the 24th after Ren Kato’s precise pass.