Cristiano Ronaldo was once again on the losing side as Al Nasr suffered a tough 1-0 defeat to Japan’s Gamba Osaka in the AFC Champions League 2 final on Saturday.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nasr lost in the cup final (Image: Fayez NURELDINE/AFP, Getty Images)
A devastated Cristiano Ronaldo was left without a runners-up medal as Al Nasr missed out on the chance to win the trophy for the second time in six days. Ronaldo, 41, was seconds away from winning his first major trophy in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, but a poor goalkeeping cost him victory against title rivals Al Hilal.
On Saturday, things got even worse. Al Nasr lost 1-0 to Japan’s Gamba Osaka in the AFC Champions League 2 final, extending Ronaldo’s wait for a silver medal.
Deniz Humet’s first-half goal made the difference, and Al Nasr were unable to build on their superiority and home advantage at King Saud University Stadium. Ronaldo squandered multiple chances and left the pitch in a bad mood at the final whistle.
When it came time to receive his runner-up medal, the Portuguese captain was nowhere to be seen. Ronaldo has since been accused of poor sportsmanship.
World Cup Legends: The stars of soccer’s biggest tournament in history – buy the special edition now
read more: Cristiano Ronaldo receives shocking news just hours before title deciderread more: Cristiano Ronaldo supports playing in the 2030 World Cup despite vowing to retire
Since joining Al Nasr in December 2022, the former Manchester United superstar has lost four cup finals. The only trophy he has lifted is the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup, an unofficial competition.
But Ronaldo will have to bounce back quickly. Al Nasr know that a win at home against Damak on Thursday will finally seal the Saudi Pro League title. This is because they will enter the final round with a two-point difference over Al Hilal, who are playing at the same time. The difference was five points until Al Hilal won Saturday’s match.
Al Nasr coach Jorge Jesús said after the final: “We didn’t get what we wanted here, but we have another final. That’s the Saudi Professional League title. It’s very important for us.” “We have five days to recover and prepare, but there’s no time to be sad. We have to get back on our feet.”
What do you think of Cristiano Ronaldo’s time in Saudi Arabia? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
Cristiano Ronaldo lost four in the cup final against Al Nasr (Image: Abdullah Ahmed/Getty Images)
By the time the embers of Tuesday’s clash between the title challengers died down, Jesus’ side were leading 1-0 thanks to a goal from Mohamed Simakan. Their celebrations were cut short when Al Nasr goalkeeper Bent failed to claim a long throw-in and the ball slipped through his hands and into the back of the net.
After the 1-1 draw, Ronaldo posted on Instagram: “The dream is getting closer. Watch out, we’re just one step away! Thank you for your amazing support tonight!”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+ and Ultimate TV packages
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundles to include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, plus 135 channels and complete coverage of the Premier League and EFL from Sky.
Sky has over 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more, with at least 215 of them live from the top flight, along with F1, darts and golf.
