Cristiano Ronaldo might have recently turned 40 but he is showing no signs of slowing down as the Portuguese great converted a penalty to help Al Nassr sail into the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League Elite.
Ronaldo's goal and a double from Jhon Duran powered Al Nassr to a 3-0 second leg win over Esteghlal.
Al Nassr captain Ronaldo was rested for last week's goalless first-leg draw in Iran. He returned to lead the way at Al Awwal Park.
Al Nassr, one of three Saudi Arabian sides to dominate the west region's group stage, needed only nine minutes to take the lead in Riyadh.
Duran put the home team in front early with the Colombian lifting the ball over Seyed Hossein Hosseini after the Esteghlal goalkeeper gifted possession to the striker 30 yards from goal.
Duran, a winter signing from Premier League side Aston Villa, registered his first goal in the competition.
The Saudi side doubled their lead from the penalty spot as Ronaldo stepped up in the 27th minute to convert with typical confidence following Mohammad Niknafs' mistimed challenge on Sadio Mane.
Ronaldo casually stroked the spot-kick into the centre of the net to take his tally in this year's Champions League Elite to seven goals in six appearances. The Portuguese star is also the leading scorer in this season's Saudi Pro League with 18 goals.
Esteghlal's night got even worse just before half time when they were reduced to 10 men when Mehran Ahmadi inadvertently caught Al Nassr defender Mohammed Al Fatil with a stray arm in the face while trying to shield the ball.
VAR upgraded the foul to a yellow card and, with Ahmadi having earlier been booked, he was promptly sent off.
Al Nassr went close to adding a third at the beginning of the second half. First, Duran had an effort saved only for Ayman Yahya's rebound to be cleared off the line.
Minutes later, Duran thumped the Esteghlal crossbar with a shot from distance.
Duran claimed his second goal of the game six minutes from time when he whipped a low strike into the bottom corner having earlier hit the post as Al Nassr eased through.
"I think we played well," said Mane. "We created many chances and we scored three goals. I think we got our reward.
"We pressed well together, we pushed them and they made mistakes and from that we scored three goals. We have a clean sheet and we cannot expect more than this."
Ronaldo was elated after the match, sharing his joy with fans on social, posting on X "Quarter-finals, here we come!"
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Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
