Al-Nassr, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, Bow Out of AFC Champions League after Penalty Heartbreak Against Al Ain

Al Ain of the UAE defeated Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr 4-4 on aggregate in the AFC Champions League Quarterfinals L by penalty shootout.

Al-Nassr lost the first leg 1-0 against Ain; terrible luck. The dramatic Riyadh stalemate saw Al Ain striker Soufiane Rahimi score a brace in the first half. Khalid Eisa’s blunder allowed Salem Al-Dawsari to score, with Sadio Mané helping Abdulrahman Ghareeb.


After the first half, Eisa scored an own goal by sending Otávio’s cross against the bar, making the aggregate score 3-2. Ronaldo wasted a fantastic chance to equalize the tie from within the six-yard box in the last minute, leaving supporters in amazement.

Though Ronaldo missed his target, Alex Telles’ free kick reached this level of spectators and found a space, which the Aissa missed, making the aggregate score 3-3. Since it went into extra time, Al-Nassr players faced Ayman Yahya’s red card racing toward the ball. The match ended 4-3 after Sultan Al-Shamsi scored the fourth goal for Al Ain from an own goal.

Ronaldo managed to score a penalty kick after being shoved within the 18-yard zone, keeping the score at 4-4. The most thrilling matchup concluded with Al Ain winning and Ronaldo scoring. Liverpool remains the continental champs, despite impressive performances from Avtávio, Pezzella, and Brozović.

After defeating fellow UAE teams, Al Ain, the best representation, is poised to win the AFC Champions League for the first time in 21 years.