Sports
CRISTIANO Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr were knocked out of the Asian Champions League in a quarter-final penalty shootout loss to Al-Ain.
Al-Nassr, who trailed 1-0 after the first leg, fell 3-0 down on aggregate but battled back to force extra time.
Ronaldo, who missed a sitter in normal time, then scored an 118th-minute penalty for 10-man Al-Nassr to make it 4-4 on aggregate.
Ronaldo was the only Al-Nassr player to score in the 3-1 shootout defeat.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, 39, had stood in disbelief after somehow missing the target from three yards when the Al Ain goalkeeper spilled a shot into his path with his side 3-2 down on aggregate after the hour mark.
But fellow former Manchester United player Alex Telles scored in the 72nd minute to force extra time for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, who were then reduced to 10-men when Ayman Yahya was dismissed.
Al-Ain, from the United Arab Emirates, went back in front in the first period of extra-time but Ronaldo held his nerve from the penalty spot with two minutes remaining to force a shootout.
Al-Nassr were already 2-0 down in the shootout when Ronaldo stepped up to take his spot-kick – and defeat was confirmed when team-mate Otavio then missed his side’s fourth penalty.
BBC
12th March, 2024.
C.E.
Tags: Al-Nassr Cristiano Ronaldo
