Cristiano Ronaldo collapsed to the ground in tears after Al Nasr lost to Al Hilal in the King’s Cup final.
The match at Jeddah’s King Abdullah Sports City Stadium finished 1-1 after extra time and saw three red cards, but Al Hilal, down to nine men, managed to win 5-4 on penalties to lift the trophy.
The 39-year-old Ronaldo had a fantastic season, setting a new Saudi Pro League record with 35 goals and receiving encouragement from his teammates as he left the pitch and sat in tears on the bench.
Ronaldo converted the penalty, but the opposing goalkeeper made two crucial saves and former Manchester United player Alex Telles missed his team’s first penalty. Ali Al Hassan and Meshari Al Nemer also missed penalties, giving Al Hilal the victory.
The Portugal international left Manchester United to join Al Nasr in January 2023, becoming one of the Saudi Pro League’s first major signings.
Since then, Ronaldo has scored 58 goals in just 64 games but has only one trophy to his name, last year’s Arab Club Champions Cup.
Aleksandar Mitrovic, who plays for Premier League side Fulham, gave Chelsea an 11th-minute lead, but his lead was cancelled out by Ayman Yahya’s equaliser.
The match was in chaos, with goalkeeper David Ospina being sent off by referee Dario Herrera in the 56th minute, and Al Hilal’s Ali Al Bulayhi and Kalidou Koulibaly following the goalkeeper into the dressing rooms in the second half.
It was also reported that rival fans were shouting “Lionel Messi” at Ronaldo as he collected his runner-up medal.
Al Nasr finished second in the league this season, 14 points behind Al Hilal, and the trophy they won was their 11th King’s Cup.
