Featured Image Credit: jovicism01/X
Topics: Al Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo
Chris Nee
Al Nassr have been eliminated from the AFC Champions League Elite at the semi-final stage and Cristiano Ronaldo squandered a late chance to keep their hopes alive in Jeddah.
Ronaldo and his team were taking part in the competition's finals in Saudi Arabia, where the top teams in the Asian confederation are meeting to play out the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final over the course of a packed week.
After goals from former Premier League trio Ronaldo, Sadio Mane and Jhon Duran saw them thump Yokohama F. Marinos, currently bottom of the J1 League and managerless after sacking former England assistant manager Steve Holland barely two months into the season, Al Nassr faced Japanese opposition again in the semi-final.
Kawasaki Frontale were the only non-Saudi side in the last four but overpowered Al Nassr to win 3-2 and progress to Saturday's final against Al Ahli.
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The former Manchester United and Real Madrid man had two opportunities to equalise in time added on.
Ronaldo had a free kick saved by Kawasaki goalkeeper Louis Yamaguchi but also had a clear chance to score after going past Yamaguchi.
Asahi Sasaki's defending on the line was deserving of praise but a player of Ronaldo's stature expects himself to score with the goal gaping in front of him.
His reaction was alarming.
Standing in the centre circle at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, the 40-year-old conducted a one-man assessment of what he'd done.
He appeared to rebuke himself as he muttered away, gesturing with his arms and even showing the left-footed finish he should have applied to take the game to extra time in a world-class piece of performative footballing grief.
Kawasaki had taken the lead through a stunning Tatsuya Ito volley before Mane powered in an equaliser.
Goals from Yuto Ozeki and club legend Akihiro Ienaga put the J.League outfit 3-1 up with quarter of an hour remaining but Ayman Yahya's deflected effort gave Al Nassr hope late on.
Ronaldo's late opening went begging and Stefano Pioli's star-studded yellows were eliminated.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner joined Al Nassr in 2023 and is yet to win a title either in Saudi Arabia or on the AFC stage.