In Tashkent, João Félix leads Al-Nassr to a commanding win without Ronaldo

The new development is clear: on Monday 2 November, Al-Nassr beat Pakhtakor 6-2 in Tashkent on matchday four of the AFC Champions League. Cristiano Ronaldo was not in the squad, but João Félix took centre stage with two goals and two assists, according to the report from the Asian Football Confederation and reports from AS and Zerozero. The win gives the Saudi side some breathing space in the league phase, while Pakhtakor remain without a victory after four matches. It says a great deal about Al-Nassr’s attacking strength that evening, less about its ability to negotiate a flawless continental campaign.

Match settled in less than half an hour

Al-Nassr struck early. In the 15th minute, João Félix set up Abdullah Al-Hamdan to open the scoring. Two minutes later, the Portuguese scored the second goal, then doubled his tally in the 32nd minute from a Sadio Mané pass. Pakhtakor had thought they had pulled one back earlier: a goal by Akmal Mozgovoy was ruled out for offside, reports AS.

The Uzbek club scored through Flamarion in the 36th minute, but that response did not change the momentum. After the break, Félix provided a second decisive pass, from a corner, for Abdulelah Al-Amri (53rd minute). Abdulrahman Ghareeb made it 5-1 in the 62nd minute, before Dostonbek Khamdamov reduced the deficit (75th minute). Ângelo made it 6-2 four minutes later. The detailed timeline is also recorded in the match data from ScoutingStats.

Félix, creator and finisher

Félix’s performance cannot be reduced to his brace. He was directly involved in Al-Nassr’s first four goals: two assists and two goals. The Portuguese thus gave concrete expression to his team’s attacking superiority, in an away match with Ronaldo absent. Reports from AS and the AFC confirm the key facts; ScoutingStats also credits him with two goals and two assists.

Mané also made an impact in attack, providing assists for Félix’s second goal and Ghareeb’s goal. The picture, then, is of an attack in which creativity does not depend on a single player: Félix orchestrated, Mané accelerated the play and several team-mates finished. That is a more useful takeaway than simply setting absent Ronaldo against the hero of the night. One match, however, is not enough to conclude that Al-Nassr have found a lasting formula or that a player has definitively changed his place in the pecking order.

A big win, but not complete statistical dominance

The score suggests a one-sided match; the available data invite a more precise assessment. According to ScoutingStats, the teams shared possession at 50-50. Pakhtakor even attempted more shots, 16 to 14, but Al-Nassr hit the target eight times to their opponents’ five. The Saudi side was therefore more effective at turning its situations into dangerous chances and goals, rather than monopolising the ball.

That efficiency masked the space left for the home side. Flamarion pulled a goal back before half-time and Khamdamov found a second opening with a quarter of an hour remaining. Pakhtakor were unable to make it a contest right to the end, but their two goals and shot volume are a reminder that attacking success does not necessarily mean complete defensive control. The statistical source is a data provider, not an independent video analysis: it sheds light on trends, but cannot by itself explain the quality or context of each shot.

A boost in the league phase, not yet qualification

The AFC describes the result as Al-Nassr’s second consecutive win in the competition. Before this matchday, the Saudi club had three points from two matches, while Pakhtakor had just two, according to the preview published by Saudi Arabia’s official news agency SPA on 1 November. The 2 November victory therefore takes Al-Nassr to six points from three matches, while the Uzbek side remain on two after four matchdays. It improves the visitors’ position in a phase where the points gaps are still narrow; the standings consulted after the match do not allow an exact position to be presented as definitively settled while other matches from the matchday are still being completed.

Another contextual factor is the disrupted schedule: the SPA preview noted that an earlier Al-Nassr match against Al-Wasl had been postponed. The number of matches played should therefore be borne in mind when comparing the teams. The AFC, meanwhile, points out that Pakhtakor are going into a fourth match without a win. The home defeat complicates their situation, but it is not, on its own, enough to establish that qualification is in jeopardy: there are still matches to play in this format and the club have two points.

The next test will be consistency

For Al-Nassr, the night in Tashkent was a convincing response on the pitch to the absence of their captain, not proof that the absence has no consequences. Félix delivered a complete performance, but the team also conceded twice and did not dominate possession. What comes next will show whether this collective output can be repeated against better-equipped opponents or in a tighter match.

For Pakhtakor, the task is more immediate: cut out the errors that allowed Félix to turn the first half in his team’s favour and make more of their attacking spells. The club found the net twice, but were unable to stem the opposition’s response. A useful conclusion for both teams: Al-Nassr turned a high-stakes evening into a campaign boost, but the continental race remains open; Pakhtakor must now end their winless run to prevent this setback from becoming a lasting deficit.