Al Nassr's Kingsley Coman, left, is congratulated by Cristiano Ronaldo after scoring against Al Ahli SC. EPA
Al Nassr's Kingsley Coman, left, is congratulated by Cristiano Ronaldo after scoring against Al Ahli SC. EPA
Al Nassr's Kingsley Coman, left, is congratulated by Cristiano Ronaldo after scoring against Al Ahli SC. EPA
Al Nassr's Kingsley Coman, left, is congratulated by Cristiano Ronaldo after scoring against Al Ahli SC. EPA

Cristiano Ronaldo and Al Nassr through to AFC Champions League 2 final after Kingsley Coman hits hat-trick


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Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr sealed their place in the AFC Champions League 2 final after thrashing Qatari side Al Ahli SC 5-1 in Dubai on Wednesday.

The Saudi Pro League table-toppers remain on course for a trophy double following their comfortable win at Zabeel Stadium in the second-tier continental competition.

In a manic opening to the game, Al Ahli had the chance to open the scoring from the spot after seven minutes when veteran Spanish defender Inigo Martinez was adjudged to have fouled countryman Erik Esposito in the box.

But Nassr goalkeeper Bento superbly saved Julian Draxler's penalty and also the rebound attempt from the former Paris Saint-Germain attacker.

The Doha club were not to be denied for long, though, as Sekou Yansane - another ex-PSG player - cut in from the left, past a wafer-weak Sadio Mane challenge, before curling home a brilliant low strike three minutes later.

The lead would barely last two minutes. A fine ball down the left from Mane found Angelo Gabriel who in turn picked out Coman with a low cross and the Frenchman finished well from close range.

Coman, who scored the winning goal for Bayern Munich in the 2020 Uefa Champions League final win over PSG, thought he had grabbed a brilliant second only for his stunning finish to be disallowed for a foul in the run-up after a VAR check.

It was 2-1 in the 23rd minute with Mane and Angelo again involved, this time with the Senegalese setting up the Brazilian to score with a low finish past goalkeeper Marwan Badreldin.

Draxler must have thought he was about to level the scores just before half-time after a surging run through the middle saw the 32-year-old German round Bento, only for Nassr defender Abdulelah Al Amri to produce an inch-perfect goal-saving sliding challenge.

It was to prove a costly miss as Coman soon scored a second after capitalising on some dreadful Al Ahli defending to send Nassr into the break 3-1 up after a breathless opening 45 minutes.

Ronaldo's first attempt on goal came just after half-time but the Portuguese could only volley over the bar from close range.

Mane then nearly grabbed the fourth but his low strike from outside the penalty area bounced back off the post, with Ronaldo then seeing another attempt blocked minutes later.

Coman completed his hat-trick just after the hour mark with an arrowed finish into the bottom corner, which was to prove his final contribution after the 29-year-old pulled up with what look like a muscle strain after scoring.

The France international has now scored 14 goals in all competitions this season and Al Nassr will be hoping it was not a serious problem.

Angelo's surging run down the left ended with him picking out Abdullah Al Hamdan to make it five with his first kick after coming on for Ronaldo with nine minutes to go.

Nassr will now face Gamba Osaka in the final on next month after the J1 League outfit came through their East Region semi-final against Bangkok United, despite losing the first-leg 1-0 on home turf.

Over in Thailand, Oska had powered to a 3-0 victory, courtesy of goals from Ryoya Yamashita, Issam Jebali and Ryotaro Meshino.

Ronaldo had been among the goals in the quarter-finals when Nassr had trounced UAE side Al Wasl 4-0 in Dubai on Sunday, with the 41-year-old opening the scoring with his 969th career strike.

That had come into that game on the back of a 1-0 home win over Al Ettifaq last week, courtesy of Coman's first-half effort, that took Nassr eight points clear of Al Hilal in the SPL.

Ronaldo and Co will now shift their attention back to domestic duties with their next SPL match coming against the Saudi version of Al Ahli - who are 10 points shy of Nassr in the table - in Riyadh next Wednesday.

The Jeddah club this week maintained their hopes of retaining their AFC Champions League Elite crown having disposed of Vissel Kobe 2-1 at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium.

Al Alhi fought back from a goal down, after Yoshinori Muto had put the Japanese club ahead in the first half, with Galeno and Ivan Toney scoring after the break.

They will now take on another J1 League side in Machida Zelvia in Saturday's final as Al Ahli hunt what would be the kingdom's eighth Asian title.

Updated: April 22, 2026, 6:12 PM