JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia – Cristiano Ronaldo and his club, Al Nassr, dey eye their first major trophy after joining the Saudi Arabian league in 2023. As the competition heats up, dem go face Yokohama F. Marinos from Japan in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League, which don shift to a new format this year, with all knockout stages happening for Jeddah from April 25 to May 3.
This season, three Saudi teams don reach dis stage, with Al Ahli having the ‘home advantage’. The Riyadh teams, Al Hilal and Al Nassr, dey seen as strong contenders to lift the trophy on May 3. The winner of this competition go also become the first team to qualify for the 2029 edition of the tournament, taking place for the first time in the United States dis summer.
Ronaldo, who don previously win five Champions League titles in Europe, don make winning the Asian Champions League a priority since moving to Al Nassr in January 2023. Di club dey look to secure their first continental title since dem take second place in 1996. “Dis title mean a lot for me and my club,” Ronaldo talk.
Al Nassr dey come into dis quarter-final match with strong performances, but dem must first overcome Yokohama, a traditional powerhouse in Asian football. Although di Japanese team dey struggle in their domestic league, having just one win from 12 games, dem still managed to finish first in their group.
Al Nassr coach Stefano Pioli believe in im players, despite dem being knocked out in the quarter-finals last year. “I always get confidence in my players because of how we dey train hard,” Pioli said. “We know we dey on di right path but we just need to convert our chances into goals for di next match.”
Yokohama Marinos midfielder Riku Yamane also acknowledged di team’s challenges but emphasize di need for unity. “We must agree on how we go play next, especially on di small details,” he stated.
Saudi teams dominate di league stage, with Al Hilal and Al Ahli remaining unbeaten. Al Ahli’s attacking line-up includes Ivan Toney, Roberto Firmino, and Riyad Mahrez as dem prepare to face Buriram United from Thailand in their quarter-final match.
Mahrez mentioned di advantage of playing at home. “Holding di finals in Jeddah go help us, and we go give everything we can to win di title,” he said.
Di quarter-finals promise to be exciting as di favorites square off, and for Ronaldo, winning di Asian Champions League go be a monumental achievement in di latter part of his career.
