Al Nassr’s journey in the Asian Champions League came to an end in the quarter-final stage at the hands of Al Ain from the UAE.
Despite securing a 4-3 victory on the night at Al Awwal Park, following a 1-0 defeat in the first leg last week, the Saudi Arabian club faltered in the penalty shootout.
Alex Telles, Marcelo Brozovic, and Otavio were unable to convert their penalties, leaving Cristiano Ronaldo as the sole scorer among Al Nassr’s four penalty-takers, resulting in a 3-1 loss in the shootout.
In a dramatic turn of events, Ronaldo netted from the spot just two minutes before the end of extra time, following goals from Abdulrahman Abdullah Ghareeb and Telles, along with an own goal by Al Ain goalkeeper Khalid Eisa.
Soufiane Rahimi contributed two goals in regulation time for the UAE side, with Sultan Alshamsi also finding the net in extra time, and both players scored in the shootout as well.
Al Ain secures their spot as the first semi-finalist, while only one Saudi Arabian team is guaranteed a spot in the last four. Al Hilal holds a two-goal advantage over fellow Saudi side Al Ittihad in their quarter-final tie, while the return leg between South Korean sides Ulsan and Jeonbuk Motors will take place on Tuesday, with the score tied at 1-1. Yokohama F. Marinos of Japan currently leads Chinese side Shandong Taishan 2-1 in the other quarter-final matchup.
Al Nassr currently sits second in the Saudi Pro League, trailing leaders Al Hilal by 12 points.
