Al-Nassr aspires to the historic Asian final

Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr are seeking to achieve a historic new achievement in the AFC Champions League, as they aim to reach the final for the second time in their history when they meet Japan's Kawasaki Frontale next Wednesday at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah. Led by global star Cristiano Ronaldo, Al Nassr hopes to win the AFC Champions League title for the first time in their history under the tournament's new format. If the team succeeds in qualifying, next Saturday's final will witness an all-Saudi clash, after Al Ahli booked their place in the semi-finals and will face Al Hilal in the next match. The quarter-final matches began on Friday in Jeddah, a new step as the regional division between West and East teams was abolished for the first time since the 2013 edition. Al Nassr overcame Japan's Yokohama F. Marinos in the quarter-finals with a resounding 4-1 victory, while Kawasaki Frontale defeated Qatar's Al Sadd 3-2 after extra time. Al-Nassr hopes to qualify for the final for the second time in its history, having previously reached the final in the old edition of the tournament in 1995, where they lost to South Korea's Seongnam Ilhwa in a thrilling match that ended with the latter winning 1-0 after extra time. Kawasaki, meanwhile, is making its first appearance in the semi-finals after numerous attempts. Al-Nassr is counting on its top scorer, Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored his eighth goal in the competition against Yokohama. Ronaldo is keen to achieve his first major title with the team, having contributed to Al-Nassr's victory in the Arab Clubs Championship at the beginning of his career with the team.