Al Ittihad returned to victory in style after losing to Al Nassr on Friday. Sérgio Conceição's team thrashed Al Gharafa, led by Pedro Martins, 7-0 in the seventh round of Group A of the AFC Champions League, securing qualification for the knockout stage of the tournament. Roger Fernandes and Danilo Pereira were part of the starting eleven for Al Ittihad and contributed significantly to the rout orchestrated by Sérgio Conceição. The first moment of inspiration, however, belonged to En Nesyri, who scored his first goal for the club in the 3rd minute. Aouar doubled the lead in the 20th minute, and Roger was denied a goal six minutes later due to being caught offside. The disallowed goal for the Portuguese winger and the halftime break did not spark a turnaround for Pedro Martins' team, which collapsed in the second half. Roger did score in the 49th minute, initiating a whirlwind of four goals in 13 minutes. Danilo Pereira, playing as a striker, converted a sublime cross from Aouar into a 4-0 lead in the 51st minute. The French midfielder scored again with a spectacular volley in the 58th minute. Al Ittihad was on fire, propelled by phenomenal performances from Aouar and Roger. The Portuguese winger followed the Frenchman's example and scored again in the 62nd minute. Aouar, however, solidified his status as man of the match by completing his hat-trick in the 79th minute. Sérgio Conceição matched the biggest win of his coaching career, having previously led FC Porto to a hefty 7-0 victory against Portimonense on April 16, 2022. The rout propelled Al Ittihad to fifth place with 12 points, while Al Gharafa suffered their fifth consecutive defeat, remaining in tenth place with six points, two away from the top eight that grants access to the knockout stage of the tournament. Rui Vitória had a rough start as head coach of Al Wasl. The UAE team lost to Iraq's Al Zawraa 2-3 in the first leg of the AFC Champions League 2 round of 16. The team, which featured Pedro Malheiro as a starter, was ahead on two occasions but allowed a comeback. Esteghlal, managed by Ricardo Sá Pinto, also faced misfortune in the first leg of the knockout stage. The Iranians lost at home 0-1 to Al Hussein in a match where they had two goals disallowed.
Three Portuguese Goals Al Nassr remains central to this story.
Three Portuguese Goals Al Nassr remains central to this story.
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