Missed Sitter, Scoring Two Penalties, Crashing Out of The AFC Champions League: An Eventful Outing For Cristiano and Al Nassr
Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates experienced a rollercoaster of emotions as UAE’s Al Ain eliminated Al Nassr from the Asian Champions League in a penalty shootout.
After losing 1-0 in the first leg, Al Nassr was keen to make up the deficit and progress to the semi-finals. However, that was not to be, as Al Ain started strong, with the same player who scored in the first leg, Soufiane Rahimi, scoring a brace in the first half to make it 3-0 on aggregate.
Al-Nassr struggled to get back into the contest, but in the fifth minute of added time in the first half, Abdulrahman Ghareeb breathed life into their efforts as the teams headed for halftime.
In the 51st minute, Otavio’s shot led to keeper Eisa turning the ball into his own net, making it 2-2. Al Nassr only needed a single goal to push the match into extra time and former Manchester United fullback Alex Telles delivered in the 72nd minute. The Telles goal came moments after Cristiano had failed to convert when a goalkeeping error left him with the ball at his feet, yards away from goal.
With Ahman Yahya sent off in the 98th minute, Al Nassr was chasing the win with 10 men but Al Ain capitalized on the numbers advantage and Sultan Al-Shamsi scored. Cristiano Ronaldo rose to the occasion and extended Al Nassr’s hopes with a converted penalty kick in the 118th minute.
The match went to penalties and only Cristiano converted his with Otavio missing the crucial one. The Asian Champions League was the last chance of silverware for Al Nassr this season with the league seemingly out of reach as unbeaten Al Hilal are 12 points clear at the summit of the table.
Al Ain will now face Saudi Pro League leaders Al Hilal in the semi-finals.
