Al Nassr were eliminated from the Saudi King Cup of Champions following a 1-0 defeat to a 10-man Al-Wehda team in the semifinals on Monday evening. The game's sole goal was scored by Jean-David Beauguel for Al-Wehda in the 23rd minute, and Abdullah Al-Hafith was given a red card early in the second half for his second yellow card offence. Despite having a numerical advantage and requiring only one goal for the last 40 minutes of the match, Cristiano Ronaldo and his team were unable to score. Ronaldo, who played for Real Madrid and Manchester United in the past, had his only shot of the night saved by Al-Wehda goalkeeper Munir Mohamedi in the first half, and he expressed frustration by shaking his head and raising his voice at the coaching staff during the halftime break.
Al Nassr may have anticipated a straightforward path to the final against Al Hilal, who defeated Saudi Pro League leaders Al Ittihad 1-0 on Sunday, but they were unable to overcome Al-Wehda, a team they had previously defeated 4-0 on Feb. 9, with Ronaldo scoring all four goals.
It has been a challenging season for Ronaldo, who moved to Saudi Arabia at the end of last year, as Al Nassr are currently in second place behind Al Ittihad in the standings with the season approaching its crucial phase.
After a disagreement with Man United manager Erik ten Hag, the out-of-favour Portugal international signed with Al Nassr in December, as he had few options to play elsewhere before joining the Saudi club.
Ronaldo's emotions have occasionally gotten the better of him, and he recently narrowly avoided a red card in the 1-0 loss to Al Hilal last Tuesday when he tackled an opposing player with a flying headlock.
With six games remaining, Al Nassr are three points behind leaders Al Ittihad in the table.
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