Silverware continues to evade Cristiano Ronaldo since landing in Saudi Arabia, with a round of 16 exit from the Saudi King’s Cup becoming the latest missed opportunity to collect a maiden trophy with Al Nassr.
Al Ittihad went into Al Nassr’s home stadium and defeated Ronaldo and co. 2–1 to eliminate them from the competition despite playing the majority of the second half with ten men.
On a night where Ronaldo struggled to make an impact, it was his former Real Madrid teammate, Karim Benzema, who stole the show. The Frenchman scored the opener 15 minutes into the match. The hosts drew level through and Angelo Gabriel strike, but former Lyon player Houssem Aouar scored the match winner in the twilight of the first half.
Despite the man advantage, an attacking line made up of Ronaldo, Kingsley Coman, João Félix and Sadio Mané was unable to mount a comeback in the second half.
It’s yet another heartbreaking defeat for Ronaldo at Al Nassr. Despite his individual achievements, his tenure in Saudi continues to be stained by a trophy drought that will reach over three years.
