Cristiano Ronaldo left in tears as Al-Nassr’s Kings Cup dream is ended by Al-Hilal after penalty shootout final loss
Cristiano Ronaldo cried after Al-Nassr suffered a 5-4 loss on penalties against Al-Hilal in the King’s Cup final on May 31. The Portuguese icon scored his penalty, but misses from Meshari Al-Nemer, Ali Alhassan, and Alex Telles proved costly for Luis Castro’s side.
The two rivals played out an enthralling 1-1 draw across 120 minutes at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah. Former Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrović opened the scoring for Al-Hilal in the 7th minute with a cool finish before Al-Nassr goalkeeper David Ospina was sent off in the 56th minute.
The drama didn’t stop there, as Jorge Jesus’ Saudi Pro League champions went down to nine men late on. Ali Albulayhi was given his marching orders in the 87th minute. Al-Alami capitalized with Ayman Yahya bagging an 88th-minute equalizer. Kalidou Koulibaly then saw red in the 90th minute as the final headed into extra time.
It would take a penalty shootout to separate Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal. An excellent goalkeeping performance from Yassine Bonou spoiled Cristiano Ronaldo‘s dream of winning the King’s Cup. It means the five-time Ballon d’Or winner remains trophyless since arriving at Al-Awwal Park in January 2023.
PHOTOS: Cristiano Ronaldo Crying After Al-Nassr Loses Kings Cup Final Against Al-Hilal
A tearful Ronaldo, 39, was spotted sitting and letting emotions get the better of him as he failed to captain Al-Nassr to glory. He’s been in remarkable form this season, posting 44 goals and 13 assists in 45 games across competitions but couldn’t add another trophy to his glistening trophy cabinet tonight.
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