Riyadh: Al Nassr Club inched closer to a spot in the knockout stage of the AFC Champions League Two 2025-26 after defeating FC Goa 4-0 at King Saud University Stadium on Wednesday.
With four wins, Al Nassr hold a six-point advantage over Iraq’s Al Zawraa SC and FC Istiklol of Tajikistan and Jorge Jesus’ side only need to avoid defeat in their next match against Istiklol to go through.
Jorge Jesus persisted with rotating his squad as the likes of Harouane Camara and Mohammed Marran were given starts while Manolo Marquez made three changes to the Goa side that lost 2-1 in the reverse fixture.
Goa’s determined defending meant Al Nassr had to wait until the 20th minute to create their first big opening, Wesley dribbling into the box but dragging his shot just wide of the far post.
The deadlock was broken in stunning fashion in the 35th minute, Abdulrahman Ghareeb curled a spectacular free-kick that hit the underside of the bar before landing in the net with Goa custodian Hrithik Tiwari rooted to his spot.
Al Nassr missed a chance to take a more comfortable lead into the break when midfielder Ali Alhassan ballooned his effort high over the bar in the 38th minute after good work from Nawaf Bu Washl on the right.
The Saudi Arabian side maintained their dominance after the break with Ghareeb notching his second in the 53rd minute, latching onto Alhassan’s through pass and calmly slotting past Tiwari.
Raghid Najjar was finally made to work in the 63rd minute when Dejan Drazic beat the offside trap and fired a powerful shot aimed at the bottom corner but the Al Nassr custodian was equal to the effort.
The miss proved costly as Al Nassr struck again two minutes later when Bu Washl delivered a low cross from the right for Marran to flick home from close range.
Substitutes Joao Felix and Sadio Mane combined to score Al Nassr’s fourth in the 84th minute, the Portuguese international finishing the latter’s cross with an overhead kick to seal a dominant win for the Saudi Arabia side.
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