BREAKING: Cristiano Ronaldo suffers heartbreak in Saudi Super Cup final as Al-Nassr give up lead twice before losing penalty shootout

Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr suffered a heartbreaking defeat against Al-Ahli in the final of the Saudi Super Cup (August 23).

After Ahli defender Ali Majrashi's handball inside the box, the 40-year-old gave his side the lead from the penalty spot in the 41st minute. However, his opener was cancelled out in the sixth minute of first-half injury time, when Franck Kessie found the back of the net with a curled effort

Al-Nassr continued to create chances and were rewarded for their persistence in the 82nd minute. Croatian midfielder Marcelo Brozovic pressed Kessie, won the ball back and struck it past Edouard Mendy to give his side a 2-1 lead.

Ronaldo's side needed to hold on to the lead for eight minutes plus added time to lift their first piece of silverware since the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup. However, they buckled under Ahli's constant pressure, conceding an equalizer to Roger Ibanez in the dying embers of the game (89').

Penalties were then used to decide the winner of the game, with Al-Ahli set to take the first spot-kick. English forward Ivan Toney scored the first penalty for The Royals and Ronaldo responded strongly by smashing his kick into the bottom corner.

Both sides scored their first three penalties; however, Feras Albrikan scored Ahli's fourth and Abdullah Al-Khaibari missed for Al-Nassr. Brazilian forward Galeno stepped up and converted his 11-yard attempt, securing a 5-3 shootout win for his side and breaking the hearts of the Knights of Najd.

Ronaldo will certainly be looking to put the heartbreaking defeat behind him and move his side's focus onto the Saudi Pro League. With the additions of Joao Felix, Kingsley Coman and Inigo Martinez, the Riyadh-based outfit look set to challenge defending champions Al-Ittihad and serial winners Al-Hilal for the SPL title.

About the author

Aaryan has been covering European football at Sportskeeda since the start of 2024. He is pursuing an integrated M.Sc. degree in Chemistry at NIT Rourkela, and tends to rely on his proclivity for numbers and statistics for his content, making the most of websites like Transfermarkt and FotMob. He is also a district level basketball and table tennis player.

A Borussia Dortmund fan, Aaryan had his first tryst with football during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Despite his young mind being influenced by Lionel Messi's exploits, his favorite World Cup moment is Cristiano Ronaldo's stunning free-kick against Spain from the 2018 version. He strongly believes that Jude Bellingham and Florian Wirtz can replicate the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry due to their respective potentials.

Aaryan, who has been on commentary panels for football and cricket tournaments at his university, is a huge admirer of Achraf Hakimi for the Moroccan's loan stint in Dortmund between 2018 and 2020. His favorite manager is Jurgen Klopp, who impressed him with his excellent tactical nous and benignant man-management skills.

When he is not scouring the internet for unique statistics, Aaryan follows the Indian Super League, the A-League, and the Saudi Pro League among others. He is an avid quizzer and debater, and a trained classical and western musician who likes to rock out for his college band, Euphony, as lead vocalist and guitarist.

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Edited by Aaryan Nagraj