Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr crash out of AFC Champions league after losing to Al Ain on penalties

1 year ago

Cristiano Ronaldo’s emotions were all over the place after he missed a penalty kick in the 118th minute and then made up for it. But despite his best efforts, Al-Nassr lost a 3-1 penalty shootout to Al Ain after a 4-4 aggregate draw, and as a result, they were ousted from the AFC Champions League.

According to Sportstar, despite a heroic effort, the Knights of Najd were eliminated, shattering the 39-year-old’s hopes of winning the Champions League in Asia.

Ronaldo had voiced optimism that his club may rally in the second leg after trailing 1-0 in the first leg, but Al-Nassr faced a formidable opponent in the first half. With two goals, Moroccan striker Soufiane Rahimi increased Al Ain’s lead and placed Luis Castro’s team under severe strain.

Al-Nassr trailed by two goals overall, but Abdulrahman Ghareeb’s close-range finish just before halftime gave them a new lease on life. Six minutes into the second half, Otavio tied the game with a shot that Al Ain custodian Khalid Eisa deflected into the net.

In the 72nd minute, Alex Telles, a former left-back for Manchester United, electrified the fans with a well-executed free kick that tied the score overall and gave Al-Nassr the lead for the first time.

According to talkSPORT, despite having multiple opportunities to win, including a shocking miss from Cristiano Ronaldo three yards away, the giants from Riyadh were reduced to 10 men following the dismissal of Ayman Yahya. The Emirati club took advantage of their numerical advantage and won both legs.

Al-Nassr’s lone goal came from Cristiano Ronaldo’s spot-kick; Marcelo Brozovic, Alex Telles, and Otavio failed. Al Ain won 3-1 in a shootout to progress to the semi-finals.

Watch the report below:

Al Nassr were eliminated by UAE club Al Ain from the AFC Champions League despite having over a 4x greater market value 😮💰

(via Transfermarkt) pic.twitter.com/9JGFRtTut8

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 11, 2024