Arab News Japan

Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr scripted history on Wednesday. For the first time the football club from Riyadh entered the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League — Asia’s premier club competition.

Al Nassr are now just two wins away from getting their hands on the trophy.

On Saturday, Portuguese coach Rui Vitoria’s side takes on Persepolis at 6pm Saudi Arabia time (7pm UAE). If Al Nassr put it across the Iranian club, they can fancy their chances of lifting the trophy as the final will be played in their own backyard in December.

Al Nassr made the semi-finals of the event for the first time since it was launched in its current format in 2002, although they have been the runners-up in 1995 when the tournament was known as the Asian Club Championship.

The Saudi club will look to their new recruit Gonzalo “Pity” Martinez to get them past Persepolis.

The Argentinian played a major role in Al Nassr’s 2-0 defeat of compatriots and 2012 runners-up Al Ahli Saudi in the quarter-finals. But It took him five matches to find the net. The striker, who lit up South America in 2018 and North America in 2019 had his moment on Wednesday with a composed left-foot finish past Mohammed Al Owais to get Al Nassr off to the best possible start in their last-eight tie.

The Argentinian international, who joined the club this month from MLS team Atlanta United for a whopping $18 million, has good company at the top with in-form Moroccan marksman Abderrazak Hamdallah aiming to make history and become the first player to score in 10 consecutive Champions League games.

This could be Al Nassr’s best chance to strike gold after they finished second in the Saudi Pro League.

Coach Rui Vitoria said he was looking forward to the challenge against the Iranian club.

“We have had a lot of games in a short period of time and now we have to think about a big game coming up. We do not mind which team we face as all teams who make it this far are strong. We will be ready.”

Persepolis reached the last four for the third time in four years by knocking out Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor, also by a 2-0 margin.