Saudi Gazette report
JEDDAH — Veteran Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo evoked worldwide sympathy and widespread emotions from his fans following the sad end to his season with Al Nassr, despite finishing as the top scorer in the Saudi League.
Global news agencies and social media platforms shared images of Ronaldo shedding tears after the penalty shootout, which did not go in his team’s favor. Ronaldo was seen crying both on the field and on the bench.
Ronaldo once again failed to secure his first local title since joining Al Nassr, after losing to Al Hilal on penalties (4-5) in the Saudi King’s Cup final.
The match ended 1-1 after regular and extra time on Friday at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium. Serbian Aleksandar Mitrović scored for Al Hilal (7′), and Al Nassr equalized (88′) through a header by Ayman Yahya, which went past Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, giving Al Hilal a double after previously winning the local league title.
The match saw the dismissal of Al Nassr’s Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina (56′), as well as the sending off of Al Hilal defenders Ali Al-Bulayhi (87′) and Senegalese Khalidou Koulibaly (90′).
In the penalty shootout, Al Hilal’s Ruben Neves and Saud Abdulhamid missed their shots, while Al Nassr’s Alex Telles, Ali Al-Hassan, and Mishari Al-Nimr failed to convert their penalties, resulting in a 5-4 victory for Al Hilal, marking their 11th King’s Cup title in history. Al Hilal retained the title they won last season, also on penalties, against Al Wehda.
Al Hilal has now defeated Al Nassr five times across four competitions: twice in the league, winning the first leg and sharing points in the second, in the Saudi Super Cup semi-final with a 2-1 victory, and in the Riyadh Season Cup with a 2-0 win before the King’s Cup final.