Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr ousted in Asian Champions League quarterfinals

Last updated: 2024/03/11 at 11:49 PM

BigP Published March 11, 2024

Cristiano Ronaldo scored and Al-Nassr was still ousted from the Asian Champions League quarterfinals on Monday.

Al-Nassr responded to a 1-0 first-leg defeat against Al-Ain of the United Arab Emirates by winning the return match 4-3 in Riyadh. But it lost the penalty shootout 3-1. Ronaldo was the only home player to score in the shootout.

The 39-year-old Ronaldo did miss several chances in regulation, and shook his head in disbelief in the second half when he missed the target from just two meters out with Al-Ain goalkeeper Khalid Eisa on the ground.

Soufiane Rahimi, the only goal-scorer from the first leg, was much more clinical on Monday. The Moroccan scored twice in the first half to give one-time champion Al-Ain a 3-0 advantage overall.

Just before the break, however, Abdulrahman Ghareeb pulled one back for Al-Nassr, and just after, an own goal from Eisa made it 2-2 on the night.

With 18 minutes of normal time remaining, former Manchester United defender Alex Telles scored for Al-Nassr to force the game into extra time.

Al-Ain restored its lead through Sultan Al Shamsi, but with 118 minutes on the clock, Ronaldo scored from the spot to level the tie 4-4 on aggregate. In the shootout, Ronaldo found the net while Marcelo Brozovic, Telles and Otavio all failed.

Al-Ain will face more Saudi Arabian opposition in the last four. Four-time champion Al-Hilal carries a 2-0 lead against two-time champ Al-Ittihad into their quarterfinal second leg on Tuesday.

In the eastern zone, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Ulsan HD meet on Tuesday. The South Koreans teams are 1-1 after the first leg. Yokohama F.Marinios of Japan has a 2-1 advantage over China’s Shandong Taishan in the other quarter.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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