Al Nassr defeated the defending Asian champions Al Ain 5-1 in the AFC Champions League Elite on Tuesday thanks in large part to Cristiano Ronaldo.

The second of the hosts’ goals was scored at Al Awwal Park in Riyadh by the Portuguese star, who has not scored in his last three games for the Saudi team.

At the exact minute, Ronaldo jumped on the rebound to tap home after Al Ain goalkeeper Khalid Essa failed to stop a straightforward long-range effort from Sadio Mane, a former Liverpool forward.

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The victory moved Al Nassr to third place in the 12-team West Asia league and preserved their undefeated start to the renamed AFC Champions League Elite.

They are seated above their Saudi rivals, Al Hilal and Al Ahli. The eight highest ranked will go to the next stage.

Al Nassr exploded on Tuesday, seeking retribution for losing to Al Ain in the quarterfinals the previous season.

After five minutes, Brazilian Anderson Talisca finished low past Essa from the edge of the Al Ain area to give Stefano Pioli’s team the lead. Seven minutes after Ronaldo doubled the lead for Al Nassr, the home team outscored their UAE counterparts.

After exchanging passes with Mane, Chelsea’s summer acquisition Angelo Gabriel blasted a shot that deflected off Al Ain defender Fabio Cardoso and looped over Essa. In the end, it was considered an own goal.

When Park Yong-woo’s shot hit the upright and bounced back off Al Nassr goalkeeper Bento for the second own goal of the game, Al Ain drew one back at the beginning of the second half.

Wesley, a Brazilian teenager who had just been introduced, curled home eight minutes from time, but Talisca’s second goal sent the game deep into stoppage time.

Al Ain lost, dropping one point out of a possible twelve and languishing at the bottom of the West Asia rankings.

The pressure on manager Hernan Crespo, who led the team to its first Asian title in 21 years in May, increases with a third straight loss.