Cristiano Ronaldo was left in tears as Al-Nassr suffered a heartbreaking loss to Al-Hilal in the Saudi King’s Cup final. The match, held in Jeddah’s King Abdullah Sports City, ended 1-1 after extra time and was decided by a penalty shootout which Al-Hilal won 5-4.
A Heartbreaking Defeat
The dramatic final saw Ronaldo scoring in the shootout, but it wasn’t enough to secure victory for Al-Nassr. After the defeat, Ronaldo fell to the ground in despair and had to be consoled by his teammates. This loss marked the end of a second successive season in Saudi Arabia without any major silverware for the Portuguese star, who joined Al-Nassr in December 2022.
Match Highlights
- Early Goals: Al-Hilal took the lead just seven minutes into the game with a header from Aleksandar Mitrovic.
- Red Cards and Drama: The match saw three red cards. Al-Nassr’s goalkeeper, David Ospina, was sent off early in the second half for handling the ball outside the area. Al-Hilal’s Ali Al-Bulaihi was red-carded in the 86th minute for headbutting Sami Al-Najei, and Kalidou Koulibaly received a second yellow card in the 91st minute.
- Equalizer: Ayman Yahya leveled the score for Al-Nassr seconds after Al-Bulaihi’s dismissal.
Penalty Shootout
The penalty shootout added to the drama of the night. Ruben Neves missed Al-Hilal’s first attempt, and former Manchester United defender Alex Telles missed for Al-Nassr. Ronaldo converted his penalty, showcasing his usual composure under pressure. However, Al-Nassr’s Ali Al-Hassan and Al-Nemer had their penalties saved by Bounou, the Moroccan hero of the 2022 World Cup semifinals.
Season Recap
This loss came just days after the conclusion of the Saudi Pro League season, where Al-Nassr finished second, 14 points behind champions Al-Hilal. Despite the league disappointment, Ronaldo had set a new record with 35 goals in a season. However, the King’s Cup final brought no such consolation.
Looking Ahead
Al-Hilal’s victory marked their 11th King’s Cup triumph, further solidifying their dominance in Saudi football. For Ronaldo and Al-Nassr, the focus will now shift to the next season as they aim to break their silverware drought and build on the foundation laid in the past two seasons.
This final, filled with dramatic moments and emotional highs and lows, will be remembered as one of the most intense matches in recent Saudi football history.
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