Al Nassr suffered a bitter 2-3 defeat to Kawasaki Frontale in the AFC Champions League semifinals, officially eliminating them from the competition. Unfortunately, Ronaldo once again caused overwhelming disappointment.

Ronaldo misses countless opportunities, Al Nassr bids farewell to the AFC Champions League

The star player of the Saudi Arabian team became the target of criticism after missing a series of clear chances, pushing Al Nassr closer to the possibility of ending the season without any titles.

From the 10th minute, Kawasaki Frontale shocked Al Nassr with a goal from Ito. His stunning volley from the edge of the penalty box beat goalkeeper Bento, giving the Japanese team the lead. Al Nassr quickly responded in the 28th minute when Sadio Mane took advantage of a mistake by goalkeeper Yamaguchi, equalizing to make it 1-1 with a sudden breakthrough and shot. However, Al Nassr’s weak defense was punished again in the 41st minute when Ozeki easily made it 2-1 for Kawasaki Frontale before the first half ended.

In the second half, Al Nassr threw everything into attack but found themselves stuck against the solid defense of their opponents. In the 77th minute, Kawasaki Frontale extended their lead to 3-1 through a combination between Erison and Akihiro Ienaga, with Ienaga finishing from close range. Al Nassr’s hopes were briefly reignited in the 87th minute when a long shot by Ayman Yahya deflected off a Japanese player’s head and into the net, reducing the score to 2-3. However, the final minutes became a "show" of missed chances from Ronaldo.

During 6 minutes of added time, Ronaldo missed several chances to equalize. First, a free-kick was saved by goalkeeper Yamaguchi with his foot, followed by a long-range shot that was easily caught, and most notably, a one-on-one situation where he bypassed Yamaguchi but missed the ball, allowing Kawasaki’s defense to clear the danger. Earlier, his teammate Duran had also missed an incredible one-on-one chance in the 88th minute, which prevented Al Nassr from turning the game around.

The 2-3 defeat not only knocked Al Nassr out of the AFC Champions League but also left them facing the prospect of a trophy-less season. Meanwhile, Kawasaki Frontale boldly advanced to the final, where they will face Al Ahli, another Saudi Arabian representative, on May 3. With Ronaldo and his star-studded teammates, Al Nassr now must quickly recover their morale to salvage the season, but the road ahead is clearly not easy.

This season, Ronaldo has scored 32 goals (23 in the Saudi Pro League, 7 in the AFC Champions League, and 2 in the Saudi Super Cup). However, Al Nassr has been eliminated from the King’s Cup, Saudi Arabia Super Cup, and now the AFC Champions League Elite. In the Saudi Pro League, Al Nassr is in 3rd place, 8 points behind the top team Al Hilal (60-68), with only 5 rounds remaining in the league.