Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Nassr remain without a title after two seasons together. Their last hope was dashed in dramatic fashion in the final of the King Cup of Champions. Afterwards, the world star was in tears
Individually, things have actually gone more than well for the now 39-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo this season, scoring 35 times in 31 league games, making him the highest scorer in a single season in Saudi Arabia. He is also the first player to be top scorer in four different countries. “I don’t chase records, the records chase me,” the Portuguese recently once again stated on the X platform
However, things are not yet running smoothly in his new home of Saudi Arabia, where the 206-time Portugal international moved in January 2023. Last year, he and his team Al-Ittihad were beaten in the championship, and this year, cup winners Al-Hilal were clearly too big for him
Al-Hilal as the final destination
And since CR7 and Al-Nassr also narrowly missed out on the Asian Champions League and will therefore also miss out on the Club World Cup, the full focus was on the final of the Kings Cup. Their opponents were champions Al-Hilal.
Cristiano Ronaldo still had a score to settle with them, having been sent off in the semi-final of the Saudi Arabian Super Cup in April after elbowing Al-Hilal. His team subsequently lost (1:2).
Three red cards, drama in the penalty shoot-out – CR7 led off the pitch in tears
Now it was time for revenge, and things got heated in the final of the Copa del Rey: there were a total of six yellow cards in the first half alone, followed by three dismissals in the second half for David Ospina, Ali Al-Bulaihi and Kalidou Koulibaly. Cristiano Ronaldo was unlucky when he hit the post with a spectacular overhead kick.
With the score at 1-1 and CR7 and his team in numerical superiority, the game went into extra time without any goals. In the penalty shoot-out, the Portuguese was the second player to score, but as three of his teammates missed, the trophy went to Al-Hilal again
This also means that Cristiano Ronaldo remains without a single title in Saudi Arabia for the second year in a row. After the final whistle, the captain of the Portuguese national team, who will take part in his sixth European Championship this summer, was in tears. CR7 left the pitch supported by his coaches
