Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr Make Winning Start In AFC Champions League Group E By Beating Iranian Side Persepolis At Empty Stadium

Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr side began their Group E campaign in the AFC Champions League by winning 2-0 away at Iran's Persepolis on Tuesday.

Al Nassr captain Ronaldo played until the 91st minute at an empty Azadi Stadium in Tehran and was involved in the move that resulted in Abdulrahman Ghareeb opening the scoring in the 62nd minute.

Marcelo Brozovic played a neat one-two with Ronaldo before the Croatia midfielder squared the ball for Ghareeb, who found the net via a deflection.

Ghareeb then assisted Mohammed Qassem 10 minutes later when the Saudi Arabia left-back doubled Al Nassr's lead with an emphatic finish into the roof of the net.

Ronaldo appeared to be limping when he was substituted off in the first minute of added time.

Highlights: Persepolis 0-2 Al Nassr

Cristiano Ronaldo pictured leaving the field after being substituted off towards the end of Al Nassr's 2-0 away win over Persepolis

Saudi Sports Company

Tuesday's game was only Ronaldo's second appearance in the AFC Champions League, after he had featured in Al Nassr's dramatic 4-2 victory over Dubai's Shabab Al-Ahli in the play-off round in August.

But Ronaldo holds multiple Champions League records following his two-decade career in the European edition, which he won five times.

The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus forward has made more appearances (183) and scored more goals (140) than any other player in UEFA Champions League history.

He is also the only player to have scored in three UCL finals.

Why Did Persepolis Play Al Nassr Without Any Fans?

Tuesday's game was held at Tehran's 78,000-capacity Azadi Stadium but no fans were in attendance.

That was due to a stadium ban issued to Persepolis for an offensive social media post from the club's official account in April 2021.

The post, which was later deleted, was published ahead of a game between Persepolis and FC Goa and made reference to Iran's invasion of India in the 18th century.

After a complaint by the All India Football Federation, the Asian Football Confederation ordered Persepolis to play their next home Champions League game behind closed doors.

Persepolis did not feature in last season's competition, so the ban was served on Tuesday.