Al-Nassr edged out FC Goa 2-1 in their third AFC Champions League Two clash in India on Wednesday. Former Chelsea man Angelo Gabriel and Haroune Camara were on target as the Saudi giants picked up a comfortable victory without their star forward Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portugal legend, along with Marcelo Brozovic, did not make the away trip to remain fresh for their upcoming Pro League clashes.
Much-rotated Al-Nassr come out on top
Jorge Jesus fielded a second-string starting line-up against a much inferior FC Goa side as star attackers like Sadio Mane, Joao Felix and Kingsley Coman were left on the bench, with Ronaldo not even travelling. However, despite missing a host of their star players, Al-Nassr dominated the match right from the start and made the breakthrough goal within the first 10 minutes of the game.
Gabriel received a pass on the left flank and cut in onto his right before firing a strike from the edge of the box that flew into the corner, just out of the reach of the goalkeeper. The Saudi giants then doubled their lead through Camara's strike in the 27th minute as the Saudi international scored with a brilliant solo effort. The 27-year-old striker received the ball inside the Goa box, turned while holding off a hoard of defenders and found the back of the net with a fine finish.
FC Goa were forced to bring on Brison Fernandes early on due to an injury. Manolo Marquez's substitution proved to be a masterstroke, as the Indian attacker pulled one back for the hosts just minutes before the half-time whistle. Fernandes received a through ball before coolly sitting down a defender inside the box and slotting home from the angle.
As the game progressed in the second period, Al-Nassr's players looked jaded in Goa's heat and humidity, which forced Jesus to make some changes as he introduced ex-Liverpool and Chelsea men Sadio Mane and Joao Felix just past the hour mark.
Goa had a golden opportunity to complete a miraculous comeback in the 66th minute as full-back Boris Singh found himself one-on-one with Bento inside the Al-Nassr box. The defender, however, was caught in two minds as his weak shot was comfortably stopped by the goalkeeper. After overcoming that scare, Al-Nassr were able to see out the game.
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Gabriel has displayed stunning form since the start of the 2025-26 campaign and was the team's leader in the attacking third against FC Goa in the AFC Champions League Two clash, in the absence of stars like Ronaldo, Felix and Mane. The former Chelsea man stole the limelight with an early strike as he powered his team to a fairly comfortable win.
The big loser
Goa were thoroughly dominated by the Saudi side right from the start as they defended in numbers against a much superior opponent. However, they had a chance to pull off a miraculous draw when right-back Boris Singh found himself one-on-one with Bento but the Indian defender failed to put the ball past the Al-Nassr goalkeeper. Singh's miss eventually cost his team a key point as he turned villain for the Indian Super League side.
AFPMatch rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐