In the Asian Champions League quarter-final, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr experienced a heart-wrenching exit, succumbing to a penalty shootout loss against Al-Ain.
Despite trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Al-Nassr found themselves 3-0 down on aggregate. However, they mounted a resilient comeback, forcing extra time.
In a dramatic turn of events, Ronaldo, who had earlier missed a crucial chance in regular time, redeemed himself by converting a 118th-minute penalty, leveling the aggregate score at 4-4 for 10-man Al-Nassr.
The shootout unfolded with Ronaldo being the sole scorer for Al-Nassr in a 3-1 defeat. The 39-year-old maestro had moments of disbelief earlier, notably missing a golden opportunity from three yards when Al Ain’s goalkeeper spilled a shot, leaving Al-Nassr trailing 3-2 on aggregate.
Former Manchester United player Alex Telles came to the rescue, netting in the 72nd minute to force extra time, but Al-Nassr’s challenges increased when Ayman Yahya received a red card.
Despite Al-Ain taking the lead again in the first period of extra time, Ronaldo remained composed, converting a crucial penalty two minutes from time to push the match into a shootout.
Ronaldo’s heroics in the shootout weren’t enough, as Al-Nassr found themselves 2-0 down before he took his spot-kick. The defeat was sealed when Ronaldo’s teammate, Otavio, missed the fourth penalty for Al-Nassr.
