Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr faced a massive setback in the ongoing King’s Cup, as the Saudi club was knocked out with a 0-1 loss to Al Taawoun in a dramatic Round of 16 match.
One of the standout moment from the match came in the 96th minute when Ronaldo missed a penalty that could have sent the game into extra time.
The forward’s shot went high over the bar as it struck a kid in the crowd, leading to disappointment among the home fans as Al-Nassr was eliminated from the tournament. Check out the video here:
Al Taawoun secured their win with a 71st-minute goal by defender Waleed Al-Ahmed, who capitalized on a corner to net the only goal of the match. Though Al-Ahmed later conceded a penalty after a tackle on Al-Nassr’s Mohammed Maran, Ronaldo’s miss kept Al Taawoun’s lead intact.
Ronaldo had a couple of other opportunities to score, including a free kick late in the second half that was saved by Al Taawoun’s goalkeeper, Mailson. Anderson Talisca also came close in the third minute, but Mailson denied his early attempt.
Now, with the King’s Cup out of reach, Ronaldo will turn his focus to the Saudi Pro League, where Al-Nassr faces a critical match against current league leaders, Al Hilal, on Friday.
“Technically we performed well but we couldn’t win the game. We feel disappointed to be out of the cup. But we still have two trophies to go for and we will give our best in them,” coach Stefano Pioli said.
