Ronaldo missed a potential goal-scoring opportunity, leading to deep regret and tears at the King’s Cup final

Cristiano Ronaldo came close to scoring a memorable goal in the Saudi King’s Cup final that took place in the early hours of June 1.

Ronaldo endured a disappointing second season at Al Nassr as they finished second in the Saudi Pro League. While they reached the Saudi Cup final, they suffered another bitter defeat.

Facing off against Al-Hilal, Ronaldo’s Al Nassr had to accept a 4-5 defeat in a penalty shootout after drawing 1-1 in regular time. The match was so tense that three players were sent off.

Al Nassr conceded early when Mitrovic headed past goalkeeper Ospina in the 7th minute. Ronaldo and his teammates had to really push to overcome the early deficit and search for an equalizing goal.

One of their efforts included a bicycle kick attempt by the Portuguese superstar early in the second half. Just seconds into the half, Al Nassr had a golden opportunity as Otavio received the ball inside the box from a teammate’s pass, immediately lofting it deep where Ronaldo was waiting.

The 39-year-old forward executed a spectacular overhead kick, leaving goalkeeper Bono standing still. Unfortunately, the ball struck the crossbar and bounced out to the astonishment of all fans in the stands. Ronaldo missed the chance to score a superb goal, leaving everyone feeling regretful.

Commenting on this situation on social media, fans couldn’t believe Ronaldo hadn’t scored what seemed like an inevitable goal: “Ronaldo missed the Puskas Award of the year, oh my god!!”, “Garnacho, your Puskas Award is still safe. That’s insane”, “How did the ball hit the crossbar, Ronaldo is so unlucky”…

In the following minutes, Al Nassr continued to attack in search of a goal but to no avail. The turning point came in the 87th and 90th minutes when two Al Hilal players were sent off in quick succession. In the 88th minute, Yahya headed in a close-range effort, leveling the score at 1-1 and sending the match into extra time amidst the jubilation of the entire team.

However, both teams failed to score again in extra time, leading the match to a nerve-wracking penalty shootout. Bono, the goalkeeper who shone at the 2022 World Cup in the penalty shootout against Spain, put on an outstanding performance, saving three penalty shots from Al Nassr, while Abdullah on the other side only managed to save one.

Despite an impressive season with 53 goals and 13 assists in the 2023/24 season, Ronaldo had to accept defeat as Al Nassr lost to Al Hilal in the penalty shootout with a score of 4-5, ending a year of effort but incomplete success.