Lost in penalty shootout in cup final and shed tears
Failed to win despite setting Saudi League top scorer record
Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr), who plays in the Saudi Arabian league, shed tears. Ronaldo missed the championship by a narrow margin in the final match, ending the season without winning a single trophy.
Al Nassr lost to Al Hilal in the 2023-2024 Saudi King Cup final held on the 1st (Korean time) at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. After finishing 1-1 in regular and extra time, Al Nassr lost 4-5 in the penalty shootout.
When Al Nassr's last kicker, Meshari Al-Nemer's shot was blocked by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, the match ended, and Ronaldo lay down on the ground, covering his face with both hands and crying uncontrollably. Coincidentally, Bounou is a Moroccan national team player who participated in the 2022 Qatar World Cup and blocked Ronaldo's home country Portugal in the quarterfinals.
Cristiano Ronaldo shedding tears after losing in the penalty shootout in the cup final [Photo by Yonhap News]
Al Nassr also finished second in the league. They achieved a respectable record of 26 wins, 4 draws, and 4 losses, but Al Hilal's momentum was strong, having gone undefeated in 34 matches (31 wins, 3 draws). Al Nassr also finished as runners-up after being held back 1-2 by Al Hilal in the Saudi Super Cup held last April.
They also failed to win the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL), losing to Al Ain (United Arab Emirates), where South Korea's Park Yong-woo plays.
Ronaldo surprised soccer fans worldwide by leaving the prestigious English Premier League (EPL) team Manchester United (England) at the end of 2022 and moving to the Saudi league.
After adapting in his first season, Ronaldo proved his undiminished skills by scoring 50 goals in 51 official matches this season. He played 31 league matches and scored 35 goals, earning the top scorer title. The 35 goals are the most ever scored in a single season in the Saudi league.
However, he did not taste a single championship this season. Since his transfer, the only title Ronaldo has won is the Arab Club Champions Cup, which features clubs from the Middle East and Africa.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo's rival Lionel Messi, who plays for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States, is leading his team to the top of the league. Messi has played 11 league matches, recording 11 goals and 9 assists, and Miami is first in the Eastern Conference with 10 wins, 4 draws, and 3 losses in 17 matches this season.
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