Al-Nasr defeats Al-Duhail in a match with a hat-trick from Talisca and a double from Coutinho AFC Champions League

Without Cristiano Ronaldo, the Brazilians were the champions of the match between Al-Duhail and Al-Nassr, in Doha, Qatar, in the AFC Champions League. Philippe Coutinho scored two goals for the host team, but Anderson Talisca scored a hat-trick that secured a 3-2 victory for the Saudi national team, which achieved its fourth victory in four matches in the tournament.

At the age of 26, Talisca began performing. After a table in the middle, the Brazilian turned and shot from outside the area with his bad foot, his right, and it hit the goalkeeper’s left corner. Shortly afterwards, he pulled off a similar move, but this time with his good leg: with his left foot, he shot from the same angle and cruised to victory.

In the second stage, the former Benfica and Bahia player scored a hat-trick in the 20th minute. In a counterattack, he received the ball inside the penalty area, and with a simple shot past the goalkeeper, he scored his third goal in the match, his eighteenth in 20 matches this season. He is the team’s second-highest scorer in the 2023/24 season, behind only Cristiano Ronaldo.

At the age of 35, Coutinho reduced the score for the home team with a penalty kick. On loan from Aston Villa, the attacking midfielder scored four goals in seven matches for Al Duhail.

Al-Nasr, with 12 points, is at the top of Group Five, ensuring qualification for the next stage and coming close to first place. Al-Duhail has only one point and is in last place, and its chance of qualifying for the next stage is remote. The next round is on the 27th of this month: the Saudi national team hosts the Persepolis team, and the Qataris face Al-Istiklal on their home soil.