Cristiano Ronaldo was overwhelmed with emotion as he left the field in tears following Al-Nassr’s defeat to Al-Hilal in the King’s Cup final in Saudi Arabia, marking another season without major acheivement for his team.
In a edgy showdown in Jeddah that concluded 1-1 after extra time, Al-Hilal bagged victory in a penalty shootout, winning 5-4.
Ronaldo, who joined Al-Nassr in December 2022, was visibly troubled, collapsing to the ground before being consoled by his teammates at King Abdullah Sports City.
The dissatisfaction came after the decision of the Saudi Pro League four days ago, where Al-Nassr finished second, trailing Al-Hilal by 14 points.
Ronaldo’s individual achievement of setting a new league record with 35 goals delivered some relief, but it was not sufficiently to offset the team’s hope for the championship.
The final match was marked by passion, witnessing two goals and three red cards. Al-Hilal took an early lead with Aleksandar Mitrovic’s header after just seven minutes. Al-Nassr suffered a setback in the second half when goalkeeper David Ospina was ousted for handling the ball outside the area.
The drama escalated when Ali Al-Bulaihi of Al-Hilal was also sent off for a headbutt on Sami Al-Najei. Al-Nassr grabbed the opportunity, lwith Ayman Yahya’s header moments later.
As tensions soared, Al-Hilal’s Kalidou Koulibaly received his second yellow card, reducing his team to ten men. After the stalemate in extra time, the fate of the match was decided by a penalty shootout.
Although both teams missed their initial attempts, Ronaldo converted his penalty. However, Al-Hilal emerged victorious as Bounou saved crucial penalties from Ali Al-Hassan and Al-Nemer, securing their 11th King’s Cup title.
