After a 3-1 defeat against Al-Ittihad in Thursday's Semi-Finals in Riyadh, Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Nassr were eliminated from the Saudi Super Cup. The Al Ittihad defense did a good job of containing the 37-year-old Portugal international for most of the game.
The 67th-minute goal scored by Anderson Talisca for Al Nassr was not enough to overcome the two-goal deficit created by Romarinho and Abderrazak Hamdallah for Rudi Garcia's side in the first half. With three minutes remaining in extra time, Muhannad Al-Shanqeeti scored the game-winning goal.
For the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, it was a frustrating evening since he missed further opportunities to get on the scoresheet. Things couldn't have been much worse for Ronaldo as he was seen limping off the pitch. Hamdan Al-Shamrani left the 37-year-old veteran writhing on the ground in pain, and Al-Nassr will worry about the extent of the damage done to their new star.
Al-Nassr manager points finger of blame at Cristiano Ronaldo after Saudi Super Cup exit
To make matters worse, Al-Nassr manager Rudi Garcia was left lamenting his team's failure to capitalize on their first-half opportunities, going so far as to criticize Cristiano Ronaldo for wasting a golden opportunity.
"One of the things that changed the course of the match was Cristiano's missed opportunity in the first half. I congratulate Al-Ittihad. They presented a much better first half than us, and we played a good second half, but unfortunately, we were not able to adjust the result. It's true that we regret losing the Super Cup, but we are still the first in the league", he said after the game.
As Ronaldo walked off the field, Al-Ittihad supporters chanted the name of his legendary adversary, Lionel Messi, taunting him the whole time. Garcia's stern judgment was the icing on the cake for a dreadful evening. What is more, after scoring for Al-Ittihad in the first half, striker Abderrazak Hamdallah mocked the former Manchester United star by imitating one of Messi's most recognizable goal celebrations.
