Cristiano Ronaldo had a rare moment to forget as his Al-Nassr side were dumped out of the Asian Champions League at the quarter-final stage following a penalty shootout defeat to Al-Ain.
Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Al-Nassr faced an uphill battle as a double from Al-Ain forward Soufiane Rahimi further increased the deficit at Riyadh’s 25,000-seater KSU Stadium.
But Abdulrahman Ghareeb struck for Al-Nassr on the stroke of half-time before Khalid Eisa directed the ball into his own net shortly into the second period to leave the hosts just one goal behind with 40 minutes remaining.
Ronaldo, 39, arguably the most clutch player in the history of the game, had a golden chance to draw the home team level on the hour-mark as Marcelo Brozovic and Sadio Mane combined on the right flank before the ball fell to the five-time Ballon d’Or winner on the rebound.
But, somehow, the veteran Portugal international fired wide of Eisa’s post from near point-blank range, with his shell-shocked team-mates looking on in pure astonishment.
Just ten minutes later, former Manchester United star Alex Telles scored direct from a free-kick to make it 3-3 on the night, sending Al-Nassr fans into raptures and setting up an enticing final 20 minutes of normal time.
Al-Nassr appeared to have all the momentum heading into extra-time, but lost Ayman Yahya to a straight red card before Sultan Al Shamsi struck to put the visitors back in front in the 103rd minute.
Ronaldo stepped up to convert from the spot to make it 4-4 in the 118th minute and the teams had to be separated via a shootout, where Al-Ain ran out 3-1 winners, with the legendary ex-Real Madrid attacker taking Al-Nassr’s only successful penalty.
‘Football justice was not with us. We practised penalty kicks and the players have the responsibility to take them,’ Al-Nassr head coach Luis Castro said in the wake of his side’s loss.
‘Individual mistakes are our responsibility, including injuries and suspensions.
‘We had 30 shots on Al Ain’s goal, we had opportunities in the game and the second half was better than the first.
‘These are difficult moments for us.
‘But I congratulate the players on the game, taking into account the difficulties we suffered.’
Castro said he was not ‘afraid’ of losing his job, with pressure mounting for the Portuguese to be replaced.
‘I am not afraid of being fired,’ he added.
‘My presence at Al-Nassr is because of my hard work, and I am not here just for the results.
‘The Arab world debates results, not actions. Life is not just this.’
