Cricket
Watch: Cristiano Ronaldo in tears after Al-Nassr lost to Al-Hilal in King’s Cup final
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Cristiano Ronaldo was left in tears after his side, Al-Nassr, lost to Al-Hilal in the King’s Cup final in a penalty shoot-out on May 31st, Friday. Al-Hilal won 5-4 on penalties to finish the league and register a cup double after the match ended 1-1 in Jeddah in regulation time.
Ronaldo seemed distraught and laid onto the turf and cried inconsolably as the coaching staff and teammates surrounded him. The five-time Ballon dr winner was eventually led off the field and was spotted sitting on the sideline before he came to collect the runners-up medal. It was a frustrating loss for Ronaldo, who had joined Al-Nassr in December 2022, as the team finished a distant second to Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League, trailing by 14 points and were beaten in the quarter-final of the Asian Champions League.
However, the 39-year-old set a new league record with 35 goals to achieve plenty of accolades in his very first full Saudi Pro League season. Despite Ronaldo’s record-shattering performance, Al-Nassr felt short of the title yet again.
King’s Cup Final: As it happened
It was a high-intensity match with 3 red cards and 2 goals. David Ospine was sent off for Al-Nassr in the 57th minute for handling the ball outside the area. Further drama unfolded when Ali Al-Bulayhi of Al-Hilal was ejected for a headbutt on Sami-Al-Najei. Kalidou Koulibaly followed late on for Al-Hilal as he received his second yellow card, reducing the team to 10 players.
Aleksandar Mitrovic provided Al-Hilal an early lead in the seventh minute before Aiman Yahya sent the game to extra time with an equaliser in the 88th minute. Ronaldo had converted his penalty after both the teams missed their first chances. Yassine Bounou emerged as the eventual hero as he saved the final two penalties from Al-Nassr.
The wait for a silverware continues for Ronaldo as his team, Al-Hilal, emerged as champions despite missing out on the services of Brazilian forward Neymar.
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