Ronaldo’s Al Nassr Falls to Al Ain in Dramatic Asian Champions League Quarterfinals

KOMPAS.com – Cristiano Ronaldo can’t deliver Al Nassr advanced to the semifinals Liga Champions Asia. Ronaldo was defeated by Al Ain’s high level of play Hernan Crespo.

From leg both quarter-finals of the 2023-2024 Asian Champions League between Al Nassr vs Al Ain at the Stadium, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday (12/3/2024), it went dramatically.

Al Nassr chased victory after losing 0-1 in the match leg first from Ail Ain, the envoy of the United Arab Emirates.

However, in the second meeting in Saudi Arabia, Al Ain was able to take a 2-0 lead thanks to Soufiane Rahimi’s brace (28′, 45′).

Also read: Al-Nassr Vs Al-Ain Results: Losing via Penalty Shootout, Ronaldo et al Eliminated

Al Nassr then recovered and took a 3-2 lead via goals from Abdulrahman Ghareeb (45+5′), Al Ain goalkeeper Khalid Eisa’s own suicide (51′), and Alex Telles (72′).

The match must continue extra time after the match the score was equal at 3-3. Sultan Al Shamsi’s goal (103′) in extra time led Al Ain to restore their aggregate lead.

Al Nassr then changed the score to 4-3 and forced the match to go to penalties after Ronaldo scored via the penalty spot in the 118th minute.

Al Nassr’s luck seemed to have run out in the penalty shootout. Of all the executors of the club from Riyadh, only Ronaldo alone has successfully carried out his duties.

On the other hand, all of Al Ain’s kickers saw their shots from point 12 penetrate Al Nassr’s goal.

Also read: Asian Champions League results Al Ain vs Al Nassr 1-0: Ronaldo is beaten again by Crespo

Al Ain also won 3-1 in the penalty shootout and sealed their ticket to the semifinals of the 2023-2024 Asian Champions League.

“I think our performance was at a very high level and if you analyze both meetings, we deserved to qualify,” said Al Ain coach, Hernan Crespo, quoted from the official AFC website.

“We are very happy with the result. I think everyone watched a good match between two great teams and we played very well,” said Crespo, who during his playing days played for Parma, Lazio, Inter Milan and AC Milan.

Crespo also successfully reached the semifinals of the Asian Champions League again. Previously, the former sharp Argentinian bomber had guided the Qatari club, Al Duhail, to reach the top four in 2022.

“We played very well and maybe, we didn’t deserve a penalty shootout. We deserved to win early,” said Crespo.

In the semifinals of the 2023-2024 Asian Champions League, Crespo’s Al Ain will face the winner of the duel between fellow Saudi Arabian clubs, Al Hilal vs Al Ittihad.

“I want to congratulate the players, because they performed with great personalities and showed that they are a great team,” said Crespo, who during his playing days led Parma to win the 1999 UEFA Cup.

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