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Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr, is eliminated from the AFC Champions League after losing a seven-goal thriller to Al Ain.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr lost to Al-Ain 3-1 on penalties, sending out of the Asian Champions League quarterfinals on Monday.
Al-Nassr rallied from a 1-0 first-leg deficit to win 4-3 on Monday, but with the game at 4-4 on aggregate, the players went to a shootout, which Al-Ain won.
Al-Nassr’s international signings Miroslav Brozovic, Alex Telles, and Otavio all failed to score from the spot as the UAE side proceeded to the semi-finals, where they will face either Al-Hilal or Al-Ittihad, both from Saudi Arabia, next month.
The game was Al Ain’s to lose, as it nearly won in extra time, but in the 116th minute, defender Saeed Juma took down Ronaldo inside the area, awarding Nassr a penalty.
Ronaldo stepped up and easily converted down the middle from the spot in the 118th minute, sending the game to a penalty shootout.
Nassr’s Brozovic, Telles, and Otavio all missed penalties, whereas Al Ain had a perfect record, with all three of its players, Rahimi, Kaku, and Shamshi, scoring from the spot. The penalty shootout ended 1-3, with Ronaldo converting, but it wasn’t enough for the home team.
Al Ain advances to the AFC Champions League semifinals, as Al Nassr’s poor record continues.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr crashed out of the Asian Champions League
Moroccan forward Soufiane Rahimi strengthened Al Ain’s lead with two goals, putting Luis Castro’s team under enormous strain.
But Abdulrahman Ghareeb’s close-range finish before halftime boosted Al-Nassr’s chances, despite the fact that they trailed by two goals on aggregate.
Otavio equalized six minutes into the second half when Al Ain goalkeeper Khalid Eisa deflected his shot into the goal.
Alex Telles, a former Manchester United left-back, then energized the fans with a well-taken free kick in the 72nd minute, tying the aggregate score and putting Al-Nassr ahead for the first time.
According to talkSPORT, despite multiple chances to seal the victory, including a stunning miss from Ronaldo only three yards away, the Riyadh-based powerhouse were reduced to ten men following Ayman Yahya’s red card.
The Emirati club recovered the lead in both matches, capitalizing on its numerical advantage.
However, Ronaldo remained composed and converted a key penalty late in extra time. However, his efforts were in vain because Al-Nassr failed in the penalty shootout.
Al Ain won 3-1 in a shootout as Ronaldo scored Al-Nassr’s lone goal. Marcelo Brozovic, Alex Telles, and Otavio all missed penalty kicks.
