.jpg)
11 hours ago
2
Cristiano Ronaldo has seen plenty of trophies slip through his fingers, but this one clearly hurt.
The 40-year-old Al-Nassr captain watched another shot at silverware vanish as his side crashed out of the King’s Cup following a 2-1 defeat to 10-man Al-Ittihad.
Despite dominating large parts of the game, Ronaldo and his teammates couldn’t find the breakthrough.
Former Real Madrid partner Karim Benzema opened the scoring early, before Angelo Gabriel hit back for Al-Nassr.
But Houssem Aouar’s strike just before halftime sealed the game. Al-Ittihad then went down to ten men, yet Al-Nassr still couldn’t turn pressure into goals.
When the final whistle blew, Ronaldo gathered his teammates on the pitch — not to scold, but to encourage.
Later, he took to Instagram to post a simple eight-word message that summed up his mindset: “We stand tall, learn, and move forward together.”
📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
Ronaldo’s rare off-day and the haunting wait for glory
For once, the Portuguese legend couldn’t conjure magic when it mattered.
He had five attempts at goal, one on target, and even fluffed a late free kick — a moment that went viral after cameras caught him giving himself a pep talk before smashing the shot straight into the wall.
It was another painful reminder of how things haven’t gone to plan in Saudi Arabia. Since joining Al-Nassr in 2023, Ronaldo has lifted only one trophy — the Arab Club Champions Cup — while the bigger prizes continue to slip away.
For a man used to Champions League glory, these near misses sting more than a misplaced penalty.
Still, his hunger hasn’t faded. Ronaldo recently said, “I want to keep playing for a few years… I’m still producing good things, helping my club and national team, and why not keep going?”
Al-Nassr remain top of the Saudi Pro League, and with the AFC Champions League 2 still on the horizon, there’s hope yet.
English (US)