George Giakoumakis marked his debut for Al Ain with the fourth goal as the United Arab Emirates champions thrashed Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr 4-0 in the AFC Champions League, inflicting the heaviest defeat the Portuguese forward has suffered since joining the Saudi Arabian club.
Moroccan striker Soufiane Rahimi scored a hat-trick for Al Ain, managed by Serbian coach Vladan Ivić, as the hosts overwhelmed the Saudi side led by Australian manager Ange Postecoglou. Al Nassr were undone throughout by the Rahimi brothers, Soufiane and Houssine, before Giakoumakis put his own stamp on the result late in the game.
How the goals went in
Al Ain broke the deadlock in the 25th minute, capitalising on a defensive mistake by an Al Nassr player that teed up Rahimi for a close-range finish to make it 1-0.
Al Nassr could not find a way back into the game, and Rahimi doubled the lead in the 63rd minute, finishing unmarked inside the penalty area. Nine minutes later he completed his hat-trick with another close-range strike to make it 3-0.
According to Turkish broadcaster D-Smart Spor's live coverage of the match, the third goal was initially flagged for offside before being awarded after a VAR review.
Giakoumakis sealed the rout in the 85th minute, converting after another error by the Al Nassr defence, as Al Ain's players celebrated wildly in front of their fans.
Ronaldo's heaviest defeat since joining Al Nassr
The 4-0 scoreline is the heaviest defeat Al Nassr have suffered since Ronaldo signed for the club. The Portuguese forward walked straight down the tunnel to the dressing room after the final whistle.
Ronaldo, the all-time leading scorer in men's international football, joined Al Nassr from Manchester United in December 2022 and has since become the figurehead of Saudi Arabia's push to raise the profile of its domestic league.
About the two clubs
Al Ain are the reigning champions of the United Arab Emirates and one of the most decorated clubs in Emirati football. The club previously won the Asian Football Confederation's continental title in 2003 and reached the final of the FIFA Club World Cup in 2018, where they lost to Real Madrid.
Al Nassr, based in Riyadh, have built a squad of high-profile international players around Ronaldo but have yet to add a major continental trophy during his time at the club. Postecoglou, who previously managed Celtic and led Tottenham Hotspur to the Europa League title in 2025, took charge of Al Nassr this year.
Giakoumakis, a Greek international forward who previously played for Celtic in Scotland, joined Al Ain this season and needed only his first appearance for the club to get on the scoresheet.
