Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Al Nassr of Saudi Arabia defeated Al Gharafa of Qatar 3-1 in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Elite group stage on Monday.

Al Nassr are all but assured of a place in the knockout phase.

Ronaldo had two early shots saved by goalkeeper Sergio Ricom, and half an hour in, he placed the ball on the penalty spot. Sadio Mane went down in the area under a challenge from Matias Nani and the referee awarded a penalty. But VAR overturned the decision.

Ronaldo then missed the best opportunity of the first 45 minutes, heading a free kick just wide from close range. He made amends in the second half, heading home powerfully from an Angelo cross. Angelo then went around the goalkeeper to make it 2-0 in the 58th minute.

Ronaldo sealed the victory six minutes later, shooting home from inside the area.

Former Real Madrid striker Joselu pulled a goal back for Al Gharafa.

Earlier, Ivan Toney scored twice as Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia won at defending champions Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates 2-1 to become the first team to book a place in the knockout phase with three group games to spare.

The English striker, who arrived in Jeddah from Premier League team Brentford in August, came off the bench in the second half and scored twice in four minutes.

Both efforts came after crosses from Riyad Mahrez; Toney headed home the first and stretched to guide in the second.

"Coach (Matthias) Jaissle told me to come on and make a difference," Toney said. "It was challenging because I've missed many games, but I stepped in and delivered a good performance."

It was a fifth win from five games for Al Ahli, who moved into first place in their 12-team group. The tournament is divided into two groups, with the top eight from each side progressing to a round of 16.