Giuliano sparks Al Nassr

Al Nassr extended its unbeaten run to six games and will take on either Al Sadd or Al Duhail of Qatar in the quarterfinals

DOHA, Qatar — Brazilian Giuliano struck twice as Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr booked its spot in the quarterfinals of the AFC Champions League with a 3-2 win over the United Arab Emirates’ Al Wahda.

A thrilling clash was on the cards in the second leg of its Last 16 encounter following its 1-1 draw last week and that turned out to be the case as Al Nassr bounced back from a goal down to prevail at the Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Al Nassr extended its unbeaten run to six games and will take on either Al Sadd or Al Duhail of Qatar in the quarterfinals, while a defeat for Al Wahda means that it has failed to win a single match in the knockout phase since reaching the semifinals in 2007.

The host enjoyed the upper hand in the first half hour and the pressure paid off in the 27th minute when Al Nassr captain Omar al-Hawasawi’s attempted clearance sent the ball to Leonardo, who produced an accurate pass for Mohamed al-Menhali.

The defender wasted no time in half-volleying the ball into the net to give the host the lead and a 2-1 advantage on aggregate.

Al Nassr, however, was not disheartened and regrouped to find the equaliser four minutes before the break with Moroccan Abderrazak Hamdallah heading home Fahad bin Jumayah’s cross from the right flank.

With parity restored, Al Nassr was invigorated and struck again in first half stoppage time with Hamdallah providing the assist.