Cristiano Ronaldo endured another painful night in Saudi Arabia after Al Nassr suffered a shocking 1 0 defeat to Japanese side Gamba Osaka in the AFC Champions League Two final.
Just days after watching a late own goal deny Al Nassr the chance to secure the Saudi Pro League title, Ronaldo was left devastated again as the Saudi giants failed to win the biggest match of their season in front of home fans in Riyadh.
The defeat means Ronaldo is still waiting for his first major trophy since making his blockbuster move to Saudi Arabia in 2023.
Al Nassr entered the final as overwhelming favourites.
Playing before more than 26,000 supporters at the King Saud University Stadium, the Saudi side were expected to become the first club from the country to win the AFC Champions League Two title, Asia’s equivalent of the Europa League.
Instead, the night turned into another massive disappointment.
Against the run of play, Gamba Osaka stunned the home crowd in the 29th minute when Deniz Hummet raced onto a through pass from Issam Jebali before firing a clinical finish into the net from the edge of the box.
That single moment proved enough to decide the final.
Despite dominating possession and launching wave after wave of attacks in the second half, Al Nassr could not find a breakthrough.
Ronaldo and his teammates kept pushing desperately for an equalizer, but Gamba Osaka defended brilliantly to hold on for one of the biggest wins in the club’s history.
Speaking after the match, Al Nassr coach Jorge Jesus admitted his team was caught off guard early in the game.
“We had prepared well but they were very fast and they surprised us,” he said.
“For the first 30 minutes, we were not at our best but after that, we dominated. They only had one opportunity and they scored from it.”
The defeat adds even more pressure to what has already become a frustrating season for Ronaldo and Al Nassr.
Earlier in the week, the Portuguese superstar was seconds away from finally lifting the Saudi Pro League title before goalkeeper Bento accidentally turned the ball into his own net in stoppage time against Al Hilal.
That late collapse forced Ronaldo to delay title celebrations yet again.
“The dream is close,” Ronaldo had written on X after the dramatic draw.
“Heads up, we have one more step to take!”
Now, after another crushing setback, Al Nassr still has one final chance to rescue its season.
The club remains two points ahead of Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League title race with one game left to play.
A victory over Damac FC on Thursday would finally hand Ronaldo his first Saudi league crown.
For now, though, the pain of another missed trophy opportunity continues to hang heavily over Riyadh.
