AFC Champions League group stage: Persepolis draws with Riyadh Victory at home, Ronaldo misses the key match

On February 18, the 8th round of the 2024-25 Asian Champions League West Asia Group Stage was held at the Azadi Stadium in Iran, with Persepolis playing against Saudi Arabian giants Riyadh Victory at home. After 90 minutes of fierce battle, neither side was able to break the opponent's goal, and finally shook hands and made peace with 0-0. Although Riyadh Victory failed to get all three points, it has 17 points with one more game, temporarily ranking third in the group, only 2 points behind the top Riyadh Crescent and Jeddah National, and still retains hope of promotion. It is worth mentioning that the team's top star Cristiano Ronaldo missed the game due to injury and failed to play to help.

At the beginning of the game, Persepolis quickly launched an offensive. In the 8th minute, Mohammadi made an accurate cross from the left, and Ahmed Zahed made a shovel shot in the penalty area, but failed to hit the target and missed a good opportunity. Persepolis created threats many times in the first half. In the 34th minute, Kodabandru took a long shot from the front of the penalty area, and the ball went straight to the dead corner of the goal, but was bravely saved by the Riyadh Victory goalkeeper. Then, Omid got a chance to shoot after a wall-to-wall match with his teammates in the penalty area, but his shot was firmly held by the goalkeeper, and Persepolis failed to convert the advantage into a goal.

In the second half, the two sides continued to attack each other. In the 59th minute, Persepolis striker Dusan shot from the top of the penalty area, but the ball went slightly off the right post, which made the home fans regretful. Riyadh Victory missed the best chance of the game in the 66th minute - after getting a half-solo chance, Yahya chose to push the ball into the far corner in the face of the attacking goalkeeper, but the ball went off the post and failed to help the team break the deadlock. In the stoppage time, Persepolis created a threat in a corner attack, but Alipurgara's header was again resolved by the goalkeeper. In the end, neither side was able to score, and the game ended 0-0.

In this game, the Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was absent due to injury, which undoubtedly had a certain impact on the offensive end of Riyadh Victory. Although the team launched several counterattacks, in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, the offensive finishing ability was significantly reduced, and ultimately failed to break through the defense of Persepolis.

Despite the failure to win, Al-Hilal still has 17 points and ranks third in the group, only 2 points behind the leaders Al-Hilal and Al-Nazi. As the group stage draws to a close, Al-Hilal still has a chance to reach the top two to ensure qualification for the knockout stage. The team needs to adjust its form as soon as possible in the next game, especially to improve its offensive efficiency, to ensure a favorable position in the fiercely competitive group stage.

The draw in this game makes the situation of qualifying for the group more complicated. It remains to be seen whether Riyadh Victory can successfully break through in the next game.