Ronaldo’s penalty miss costs Al-Nassr as Cup hopes go up in smoke
Cristiano Ronaldo’s bid for silverware hit a snag on Tuesday as Al-Nassr were eliminated from the King’s Cup, suffering a 1-0 defeat to Al-Taawoun.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner missed a stoppage-time penalty that could have salvaged the match, marking a frustrating moment in his nearly two-year tenure with the club without a major trophy.
Al-Taawoun took the lead with a header from Waleed Al-Ahmad in the 70th minute.
With just seconds left in the match, Al-Ahmad was called for a foul in the area, setting the stage for Ronaldo’s penalty.
However, CR7 shot over the bar, leaving the home crowd of 14,519 in disbelief.
This miss marked an unusual misstep for Ronaldo, who had previously converted all 18 penalties for Al-Nassr.
The defeat also marked the first loss for new head coach Stefano Pioli, who succeeded Luis Castro in September.
“Technically, we performed well, but we couldn’t win,” Pioli said. “We feel disappointed to be out of the cup, but we still have two trophies to go for, and we will give our best in them.”
Despite this setback, Al-Nassr remain in contention for two more trophies this season.
However, they trail league leaders Al-Hilal by six points after eight matches in the Saudi Pro League and have managed only seven points from three games in the Asian Champions League group stage.
After the match, Ronaldo reflected on the defeat via social media, posting on X and Instagram, “Every challenge is an opportunity to grow.”
While he has struggled with penalties in recent months, including a crucial miss in Portugal’s Euro 2024 clash with Slovenia, he successfully converted two penalties in shootouts during the summer.
Ronaldo remains undeterred by his recent misfortunes.
“I know there are people who are afraid of taking penalties and shootouts, but that’s not Cristiano Ronaldo,” he said on his YouTube channel. “I will never be afraid. Even if I miss a penalty, I will take the second, and if I miss the second, I will take the third. I will never be afraid.”
With a career total of 199 penalties taken and 168 scored, Ronaldo is well-acquainted with the pressures of the spot-kick.
Al-Nassr must now regroup quickly for their crucial Saudi Pro League clash against Al-Hilal, who sit atop the league with a perfect win record after eight games and recently welcomed back Neymar after a yearlong absence.
