Cristiano Ronaldo in tears after King’s Cup final defeat
Cristiano Ronaldo was left in tears after Al-Nassr were beaten in the King’s Cup final
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Cristiano Ronaldo collapsed to the ground in tears after Al-Nassr were beaten by Al-Hilal in the King’s Cup final.
There were three red cards in the match at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium in Jeddah which finished 1-1 after extra time. But it was nine-man Al-Hilal who lifted the trophy after winning 5-4 in the penalty shootout.
Ronaldo, now aged 39, has had an impressive season. He set a new Saudi Pro League record with 35 goals, and was supported by teammates as he left the pitch and sat on the bench in tears.
Ronaldo converted his penalty, but the opposition goalkeeper made two key saves, and former Manchester United player Alex Telles had missed the team’s first. Ali Al Hassan and Meshari Al Nemer also failed to convert, which handed victory to Al-Hilal.
The Portuguese international was one of the first major signings of the Saudi Pro League when he joined Al-Nassr after leaving Manchester United in January 2023.
Since then, Ronaldo has found the net 58 times in just 64 matches, but has just one piece of silverware to show for it, last year’s Arab Club Champions Cup.
In the match itself, Aleksandar Mitrovic, who used to play for Premier League side Fulham, opened the scoring in the 11th minute, which was cancelled out by Ayman Yahya’s equaliser.
It was a chaotic match, goalkeeper David Ospina was sent off in the 56th minute by referee Dario Herrera. Later on in the match, Al-HIlal’s Ali Al-Bulayhi and Kalidou Koulibaly shortly followed the shot-stopper into the dressing room.
There were reports of rival fans chanting ‘Lionel Messi’ at Ronaldo as he collected the runner’s up medal.
Al-Nassr finished second, 14 points behind Al-Hilal in the league this season, and the trophy was their 11th King’s Cup.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments