Different Rahimi, same problem for Ronaldo and Al Nassr: Who is Al Ain scorer Houssine Rahimi?
Another Rahimi strikes against Ronaldo's Al Nassr in Al Ain
Cristiano Ronaldo and Al Nassr knew all about the danger posed by a Rahimi at Al Ain.
They probably expected it to be Soufiane Rahimi.
Instead, it was his younger brother Houssine Rahimi who struck to give Al Ain the lead against Al Nassr in their AFC Champions League Elite clash on Tuesday night.
And Al Nassr only had themselves to blame. A poor back pass from Saad Al Nasser gifted Houssine a huge opportunity, and the Moroccan remained calm. He collected the ball and calmly finished to put Al Ain in front.
Al Nasser was then involved in another controversial moment before half time. He appeared to catch an Al Ain player with an elbow, but escaped without a red card, much to the frustration of the home side.
It meant Al Nassr could consider themselves fortunate not to be reduced to 10 men before the break. For the 24 year old, scoring against Ronaldo and Al Nassr on the continental stage is certainly one way to announce himself to a much wider audience.
Who is Houssine Rahimi?
Houssine is the younger brother of Al Ain and Morocco star Soufiane Rahimi.
He joined Al Ain from Raja Casablanca in 2025 after finishing as the top scorer in Morocco's Botola Pro during the 2024/25 season.
He has also started the new UAE Pro League season brightly, scoring twice in his opening three appearances while playing just 102 minutes.
But it is the family connection that makes his goal against Al Nassr particularly interesting.
His older brother Soufiane has already caused Ronaldo and Al Nassr plenty of problems.
Soufiane scored the only goal when Al Ain beat Al Nassr 1 0 in the first leg of their AFC Champions League quarter final in 2024. He then scored twice in the return leg in Riyadh as Al Ain eventually knocked Al Nassr out on penalties before going on to become Asian champions.
Now, more than two years later, another Rahimi has found the net against Ronaldo's Al Nassr.
This time, it is the younger brother.
The match is not over yet, though. Al Ain are leading 1-0 at Half Time. We will see whether Cristiano Ronaldo and Al Nassr can respond in Al Ain and avoid another difficult night at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.
