Cristiano Ronaldo, Al Nassr qualifies for the AFC Champions League 2023-24 Knockouts

Al-Nassr booked their place in the knockout rounds of the AFC Champions League 2023-24 on Monday after they claimed a 0-0 draw with Iran's Persepolis despite playing most of the game with 10 men. Ali Lajami was sent off in the 17th minute for a reckless tackle on Milad Sarlak.

The point ensured Al-Nassr would finish on top of Group E despite having one group game left to play.

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Only the group winners are certain to progress to the last 16 directly. Persepolis could take one of the three runners-up spots available in the next phase if they defeat Al-Duhail in their final group game on Dec. 5.

An early penalty was awarded to Cristiano Ronaldo but it was overturned. The 38-year-old told the referee that he was not fouled and the decision was reversed after a VAR review. With ten men, the home side struggled, facing sustained pressure from Persepolis in the second half. Despite their efforts, Persepolis couldn't find the back of the net. Al-Nassr held firm and secured their qualification to the next stage of the competition. Ronaldo came close but he missed the target.

Happy that we qualified 1st in our group and to have achieved 20 games unbeaten.

Great Teamwork💪🏼@AlNassrFC_EN 💛💙 pic.twitter.com/bnNpEGodVq

— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) November 27, 2023

Ronaldo and his Al-Nassr team-mates will hope to continue their unbeaten run when they return to Saudi Pro League with a game against Al-Hilal on Friday. Al-Hilal are at the top of the table and four points ahead of Al-Nassr.