João Félix decisive in clash that reunited former Benfica men | OneFootball

Years after the great rivalry they experienced in Portugal, while managing Benfica and Sporting, Rui Vitória and Jorge Jesus faced each other again, this time in Asia’s Champions 2. On the afternoon of Sunday, April 19, Al Nassr, driven by the inspiration of João Félix and Cristiano Ronaldo, beat Al Wasl, coached by the 56-year-old manager, 4-0.

In a match that marked the return of international competitions in Asia, due to escalating tensions in the Middle East, the Riyadh side travelled to Dubai, where the former Benfica star reunited with Rui Vitória, the coach responsible for promoting him to the Eagles’ first team. Wearing the No. 70 shirt, he was decisive, providing two assists.

A place in the semi-finals was practically settled in the first half, with Al Wasl unable to contain the Saudis’ firepower. In the 11th minute, Cristiano Ronaldo moved even closer to goal No. 1,000 by opening the scoring. But Al Nassr’s show would not stop there.

In the 24th minute, Spanish defender Iñigo Martínez made it 2-0 for Jorge Jesus’ side, thanks to an assist from João Félix. Three minutes later (27'), the former Benfica No. 79 produced another decisive pass, which led to Al Nassr’s 3-0. In the second half, with the match all but decided, Sadio Mané made it 4-0 in the 81st minute.

The match ended up confirming Rui Vitória’s words, as in the build-up to the international fixture he had praised the Portuguese contingent. With another win added to the tally, Al Nassr secured a place in the semi-finals of Asia’s Champions 2 and now await the winner of the clash between Qatar’s Al Ahli and Jordan’s Al Hussein.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.