Al-Nassr have earned qualification for the AFC Champions League group stages following a late 4-2 comeback victory over Shabab Al-Ahli.
The Riyadh giants had suffered a disappointing 2-0 defeat against Al-Taawoun in the second round of the Saudi Pro League on Friday.
However, they managed to turn their form around against Emirati side Shabab Al-Ahli in the AFC Champions League playoffs, breaking the deadlock after just 11 minutes.
Anderson Talisca opened the scoring after firing a header into the back of the net from Marcelo Brozovic’s corner delivery to give his side the lead.
The hosts were not able to capitalise on their lead as Shabab Al-Ahli grabbed the equalizer six minutes later through Yahya Al-Ghassani.
To make matters worse, Al-Ghassani completed his brace right after the break as former Sevilla forward Munas Dabour skipped past Al-Nassr defenders before putting the ball on a plate for an easy tap-in.
Al-Nassr looked rattled after conceding and struggled to find their rhythm and create chances going forward as they relied on hopeful long balls and imprecise crosses.
Their efforts almost paid dividends with Ghislain Konan’s long-range attempt surprising Shabab Al-Ahli’s Majed Naser but fortunately for the Emirati goalkeeper, the ball hit the woodwork and was ultimately cleared away from danger.
Head coach Luis Castro made the required change by bringing in young winger Ayman Yahia to operate on the left-hand side and improve the quality of the deliveries into the box.
The 22-year-old did just that as he provided a delightful cross just seconds after his introduction for Sultan Al-Ghannam to score the leveller in the 87th minute.
In stoppage time, Yahia was on the scene again but this time finding Talisca to give Al-Nassr the lead for the second time before Brozovic sealed the victory with a powerful left-footed strike.