The Senegalese Lion's magic lights up the skies of Uzbekistan.. Mane shines with two assists and leads Al Nassr to win against Pakhtakor

02.11.26 FT AFC Champions League

Pakhtakor Tashkent

2

:

Al Nassr FC

6

Senegal international Sadio Mane provided two assists as Al Nassr secured an emphatic 6-2 away victory over Uzbekistan's Pakhtakor on Monday 2 November, in the fourth round of the 2026 /27 AFC Champions League Elite.

The 34 year old winger created goals for Joao Felix and Abdulrahman Ghareeb in the 32nd and 62nd minutes respectively helping the Saudi club claim their second victory of the continental campaign.

Al Nassr produced a dominant attacking performance in Tashkent despite the absence of Portuguese captain Cristiano Ronaldo.

Read Also: After 35 years.. Sinayoko approaches George Weah's historic Ligue 1 record

Sadio Mane delivers two assists against Pakhtakor

Mané started the encounter on the left side of Al Nassr's attack, alongside Felix and Saudi forward Abdullah Al Hamdan.

The visitors established control early, with Al Hamdan opening the scoring in the 15th minute after receiving an assist from Félix.

The Portuguese attacker doubled the advantage just two minutes later, capitalising on a defensive mistake to make it 2-0.

Mane then produced his first decisive contribution in the 32nd minute, setting up Felix to complete his brace and extend Al Nassr's lead to three goals.

Pakhtakor responded through Brazilian midfielder Flamarion in the 36th minute, reducing the deficit to 3-1 before half time.

However, Al Nassr maintained their attacking momentum after the interval.

Abdulelah Al Amri scored the fourth goal in the 53rd minute following another assist from Félix.

Nine minutes later, Mané provided his second assist of the evening, creating the opportunity for Abdulrahman Ghareeb to score Al Nassr's fifth goal.

Mane was eventually replaced by Sami Al Najei in the 76th minute.

Eight goals in Tashkent as Ronaldo misses out

Despite the one sided scoreline, Pakhtakor continued fighting and scored their second goal through Dostonbek Khamdamov in the 75th minute.

However, Brazilian winger Angelo Gabriel completed Al Nassr's six goal performance four minutes later, converting an assist from Al Hamdan.

The result was particularly significant because Al Nassr achieved their biggest victory of the continental campaign without Ronaldo.

Head coach Ange Postecoglou had decided to rest the Portuguese forward allowing other attacking players to assume greater responsibility.

Félix emerged as the most productive player, scoring twice and providing two assists, while Mane contributed through his creativity and movement.

The victory also represented an important improvement for Al Nassr following their inconsistent start to the league phase.

Mane maintains impressive attacking form

Monday's performance continued an encouraging period for the former Liverpool and Bayern Munich forward.

Just four days earlier, Mane had scored and provided an assist during Al Nassr's 5-3 Saudi Pro League victory over Al Kholood on October 29.

As Foot Africa previously reported, Mane's contribution against Al Kholood took his domestic league tally to three goals and five assists in 11 appearances this season.

His two assists against Pakhtakor bring his direct contributions across those two recent matches to one goal and three assists.

The Senegalese forward has demonstrated his ability to influence matches both as a goalscorer and a creator.

His performances also strengthen his importance within Postecoglou's attacking system, which features several established international stars.

Mane previously played an influential role in Al Nassr's Asian Champions League campaign in 2025, scoring against Kawasaki Frontale in the semi-finals despite the Saudi club's elimination.

His latest performance provides another reminder of his experience and attacking qualities in continental competition.

Al Nassr strengthen their qualification hopes

The victory lifted Al Nassr to six points in the AFC Champions League Elite league phase after recording their second win of the tournament.

Postecoglou's team have also played one match fewer than several of their competitors because of the postponement of their previous fixture against Al Wasl.

Meanwhile, Pakhtakor remain on two points after four matches, extending their winless start to the competition.

Khaled Hegazy |

Editorar, en

Journaliste sportif spécialisé dans la couverture du football et la création de contenu numérique, alliant expérience éditoriale et expertise des médias sociaux.

Related teams and leagues

Pakhtakor Tashkent

Al Nassr FC

AFC Champions League