Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty miss leads to Al Nassr exit from King’s Cup

It’s another setback for the legend Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo and his Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr FC, as they are out of the King’s Cup following a 0-1 loss to Al Taawoun FC. The loss comes after the Portuguese attacker missed an injury-time penalty to level things.

The greatest of all time No. 7 missed his very first penalty for the club, since joining on January 1, 2023. He had converted all the previous 18 penalties he took for the club. But, this miss is a costly one for him and his club, as the Saudi giants are knocked out of the competition, after his last-minute miss from the Round-of-16 stage.

The exit is yet another blow for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, as he hasn’t yet won a major trophy with the club, after spending about two years with the club already. This loss yields another chance of getting silverware lost. This defeat is also Italian head coach Stefano Pioli’s first loss, who joined after the sacking of Portuguese Luis Castro.

What happened in the game?

After an intense fight, in which Al Nassr were clearly the better side, opponents Al Taawoun took the lead by breaking the deadlock in the 71st minute, from a Waleed Al Ahmed header, perfectly assisted by Fayçal Fajr.

The goal meant that Al Nassr were trailing, and to make things worse, Al Taawoun introduced three fresh legs to protect their advancement. A desperate Stefano Pioli even made an attacking change in the 85th minute by bringing a striker for a defender. Attacks increased, and eventually, in the last minutes of extra-time, Al Nassr received a penalty after a foul on them. 

The automatic choice for penalties, CR7 took the shot, and missed, much to the awe of everyone, including the audience of 14,519. Minutes after the miss, the final whistle was blown, and Al Nassr were ruled out of the King’s Cup.

What’s next for Al Nassr?

Al Nassr still have a lot of chances of winning the major trophies. It’s early days in The Saudi Pro League, and they are standing unbeaten with 12 points from eight games, though third, having five points short of arch-rivals Al Hilal already. But, since these are early days if the team stays composite, they may triumph in the league.

In the coveted AFC Champions League, they are unbeaten too. They have two wins and a draw in three games. With someone like Cristiano Ronaldo in the squad, who won the UEFA Champions League five times, they are automatic favourites.

Also Read: Al Nassr vs Al Hilal Prediction, Preview, Lineups and Team News | SPL, November 1, 2024