Saudi Arabia Striker Cristiano Ronaldo was extremely disappointed after Al Nassr lost 4-5 to Al Hilal in the King Cup final penalty shootout, on the evening of May 31.
After Nasser Aldawsari successfully completed the fifth set of shots for Al Hilal, Ronaldo knelt down on the King Abdullah Sports City field. He then lay down and covered his face, crying. Teammates and coaching staff members must come and encourage him.
After a while, Ronaldo also sat up, but continued to sob.
When he left the field to make room for the organizers to prepare for the awards ceremony, the 39-year-old superstar sat in the technical area of Al Nassr, but could not calm down. He still cried all over even though he tried to suppress it.
This failure caused the Portuguese striker and his teammates to miss the opportunity to defend the King Cup title. Previously, they lost in the Saudi Arabian National Championship, finishing second behind Al Hilal.
Ronaldo ended the 2023-2024 season with 50 goals in 51 matches in all competitions for Al Nassr. However, his team only won one title, the Arab Club Champions Cup in August 2023.
Yesterday, Al Nassr conceded in the 7th minute from Aleksandar Mitrovic’s goal. Ronaldo had many opportunities, but could not take advantage. The most significant was the shot that hit goalkeeper Yassine Bono in a face-to-face position in the 35th minute. A few minutes later, he dribbled the ball from the left, past midfielder Kalidou Koulibaly, but the curling shot could not beat Bono. At the beginning of the second half, Ronaldo had a chance to score again, from Otavio’s cross. Captain Al Nassr leaned back and hooked the ball beautifully but it bounced off the post.
It wasn’t until the 88th minute that Al Nassr equalized 1-1, thanks to Ayma Yahya’s high header.
Despite being outplayed, Ronaldo and his teammates could not score in two extra periods. In the penalty shootout, Ronaldo completed his mission. And there was a time when Al Nassr was just one shot away from the Cup, but midfielder Ali Al Hassan couldn’t beat Al Hilal’s goalkeeper.
