Sports

Ronaldo in tears after Saudi King’s Cup final defeat

Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo broke down tears after Al Nassr lost the King’s Cup final to Al Hilal on penalties on Friday night.

The club’s loss extended Ronaldo’s trophy drought in Saudi Arabia.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, whose arrival last year unleashed a flood of top players to the oil-funded Saudi Pro League, slumped to the ground as Al Hilal celebrated winning the King’s Cup.

Ronaldo, 39, then slowly walked off the pitch and sat in the dug-out with tears streaming down his face.

In a tempestuous match that saw three red cards, including one for Al Nassr’s ex-Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina, Ayman Yahya scored in the 88th minute to cancel out Al Hilal’s early strike through Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Ronaldo breaks Saudi league scoring record

But Al Hilal triumphed 5-4 in the shoot-out to complete the Saudi treble after also winning the Super Cup and the Saudi Pro League, finishing unbeaten in domestic action.

This season Al Hilal, with star signing Neymar injured since October, put together a record 34-match winning streak in all competitions.

Al Nassr, who were second in the league behind Al Hilal, and lost to the same team in the Super Cup, miss out once again despite the prolific Ronaldo, who scored a Pro League-record 35 goals.

His sole silverware so far with the Riyadh club is last year’s Arab Club Champions Cup.

Ronaldo’s contract, said to net him 400 million euros over two-and-a-half years, runs out at the end of next season.

The Star

Segun Ojo

Recent Posts

Varsity denies awarding professorship to sacked UNIZIK VC

The Federal University, Gusau in Zamfara State has denied awarding professorship to the sacked Vice-Chancellor…

24 mins ago

First winner in ‘Glo Festival of Joy’ gets new car

Technology company Globacom, on Thursday, November 21, 2024, delivered a brand new Toyota Prado car…

1 hour ago

Uba Sani donates N10m to military heroes

Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani has launched the 2024 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Emblem with…

3 hours ago

10 winners get N77.5m cash prize at Zenith Bank’s tech fair

A total sum of N77.5 million in prize money was won at the end of…

7 hours ago

Clerics laud Bishop Odedeji at Lagos Anglican Diocese’s 25th anniversary

Bishop Olusola Odedeji of the Anglican Diocese of Lagos West was showered with encomiums for…

7 hours ago

Bode George: Nigerians waiting for PDP to unseat Tinubu in 2027

A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Bode George, says Nigerians are…

8 hours ago

This website uses cookies.