Al-Nassr booked their place in the AFC Champions League Elite quarter-finals after beating 10-man Esteghlal 3-0 in their second leg clash, with Jhon Duran netting a brace.
Cristiano Ronaldo was also on target for Stefano Pioli’s side, who have now reached the final eight of the competition for the fifth time in their history.
Al-Nassr were ahead in the ninth minute when a poor clearance by Esteghlal goalkeeper Hossein Hosseini, with Duran picking up the ball and lobbing the ball into the net.
The hosts were given the chance to double their advantage just before the half-hour mark after Sadio Mane was fouled inside the area by Mohammad Niknafs.
Ronaldo stepped up and brilliantly dispatched the penalty, placing the ball down the middle to notch his sixth goal in the competition so far this season.
And it went from bad to worse for Esteghlal in first-half stoppage time when Mehran Ahmadi was sent off after picking up his second yellow card when he caught Mohammed Al-Fatil in the face with a flailing arm.
Al-Nassr continued to dominate the contest after the break, with Aiman Yahya seeing his effort cleared off the line, with Duran striking the woodwork on the follow-up.
But the former Aston Villa forward would notch his brace six minutes from time, collecting Angelo’s pass before rifling the ball into the bottom left corner with his right foot.
Data Debrief: Al-Nassr find their shooting boots
Having been held to a disappointing draw in the first leg against their Iranian opponents, Al-Nassr ensured they found their clinical edge on Monday to ease past Esteghlal.
The hosts ended the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 2.53 from their 22 shots, compared to their opponents’ measly 0.06 from the three attempts they mustered.
Ronaldo also ended his three-game goal drought against sides from Iran, having scored at least once against teams from every country he has faced in the competition. He ended the contest having had more shots on target (three) and touches in the opposition box (eight) than any of his team-mates.
Al-Nassr have also now kept a clean sheet in five of their 10 games in the AFC Champions League. Only Yokohama F. Marinos (seven) have managed more in this year’s competition.
