Ronaldo in tears as Al-Nassr lose Saudi King's Cup final on penalties

Cristiano Ronaldo in tears as Al-Nassr loses King's Cup final to Al-Hilal in penalty shootout after a dramatic match.

Footballing sensation Cristiano Ronaldo experienced a rollercoaster of emotions as his Al-Nassr team suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Al-Hilal in the King's Cup final, marking another season in Saudi Arabia without a major trophy. The intense final ended in a 1-1 draw after extra time, with Al-Hilal emerging victorious in a penalty shootout that concluded 5-4 in Jeddah.

Ronaldo, who joined Al-Nassr in December 2022, was visibly devastated as he fell to the ground in despair, consoled by his teammates at King Abdullah Sports City. This defeat followed closely on the heels of a Saudi Pro League season where Al-Nassr finished as runners-up, trailing Al-Hilal by 14 points. Despite Ronaldo's remarkable achievement of setting a new league record with 35 goals in a season, the loss in the King's Cup final was a bitter pill to swallow.

The final match was marred by a series of dramatic events, including two goals and three red cards. Al-Hilal took an early lead with a goal from Aleksandar Mitrovic in the seventh minute, putting Al-Nassr on the back foot. The situation worsened for Al-Nassr when goalkeeper David Ospina was shown a red card for handling the ball outside the area in the second half. Al-Hilal also faced a setback with Ali Al-Bulaihi's red card for an alleged headbutt on Sami Al-Najei.

Despite the odds, Al-Nassr managed to equalize with Ayman Yahya's header, sending the match into extra time. The intensity continued as Kalidou Koulibaly received a second yellow card, reducing Al-Hilal to nine men. The final whistle blew with no additional goals, leading to a tense penalty shootout.

The shootout saw Ruben Neves and Alex Telles miss their penalties for Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr, respectively. Ronaldo, who had earlier struck the post with a spectacular overhead kick, converted his penalty but could only watch as Bounou made two crucial saves, securing victory for Al-Hilal. The Moroccan goalkeeper's heroics dashed Al-Nassr's hopes of claiming the King's Cup title, leaving Ronaldo and his teammates devastated at the missed opportunity for silverware.