Al Nassr produced one of their most dominant displays of the season, sweeping aside Tajik champions Istiklol Dushanbe 4–0 at the Hisor Central Stadium in Tajikistan.
The result keeps them perfect in Group D and officially books their place in the knockout rounds, just as Softffootball expected in the pregame report.
From the start, Al Nassr controlled every phase of the match, finishing with a commanding 67% possession and pinning Istiklol deep inside their own half. The breakthrough arrived early when Joao Felix coolly converted from the spot, setting the tone for the night.
Just before the interval, Mohamed Simakan doubled the advantage with a cool, composed finish after a slick team move. Softfootball reports that Joao Felix was the star of the show, as the Portuguese star constantly found pockets of space, and Istiklol’s backline never came close to solving the problem he posed.
He was hailed by the club’s official X account for his exceptional performance, tagging him the Man of the Match.
They posted:
Al Nassr showed no signs of easing off after halftime. Sadio Mane, lively from the moment he stepped onto the pitch, made it 3–0 in the 84th minute with a sharp effort after being found in space by Joao Felix. They didn’t even miss the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, who was the hero in the 4-1 victory over Al-Khaleej.
Deep into added time, Ayman Yahya rounded off the scoring with a clinical counter-attack finish, putting the final touch on a complete team performance.
Istiklol created little in response, registering only two attempts on target all evening, just one of them troubling goalkeeper Bento. With Simakan and Al Amri in commanding form at the back, Al Nassr’s defensive line barely broke a sweat.
This emphatic victory reinforces Al Nassr’s status as one of the tournament favorites. Their balance of defensive structure and attacking flair continues to shine, and with a flawless group stage so far, they’ve sent a clear warning to every contender in the AFC Champions League Two.
