Jeddah: Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr team faced a heartbreaking defeat in the King's Cup final, losing to Al-Hilal in a dramatic penalty shootout. The match, which ended 1-1 after extra time, saw Al-Hilal clinch the title with a 5-4 victory in the shootout.

Ronaldo, who joined Al-Nassr in December 2022, was visibly emotional as he left the field in tears at King Abdullah Sports City. His despair was evident after the team ended their second consecutive season in Saudi Arabia without a major trophy.

The match began with Aleksandar Mitrovic heading Al-Hilal into the lead just seven minutes in. Al-Nassr's situation worsened early in the second half when their goalkeeper, David Ospina, was sent off for handling the ball outside the penalty area.

Despite the setback, Al-Nassr equalized in the 86th minute when Ayman Yahya headed home. This came moments after Al-Hilal's Ali Al-Bulaihi was red-carded for a headbutt on Sami Al-Najei. The game saw further drama as Al-Hilal's Kalidou Koulibaly was sent off in the 91st minute, reducing his team to nine men.

The match proceeded to extra time, but neither team could break the deadlock, leading to a penalty shootout. Both teams had early misses, with Ruben Neves missing for Al-Hilal and Alex Telles missing for Al-Nassr.

Ronaldo successfully converted his penalty, but Al-Nassr's fate was sealed as Al-Hilal's goalkeeper, Bounou, saved two crucial penalties, securing Al-Hilal's 11th King's Cup triumph.

This defeat followed closely on the heels of Al-Nassr finishing second in the Saudi Pro League, 14 points behind Al-Hilal. Ronaldo's individual brilliance shone through the season as he set a new league record with 35 goals, but this final offered no such consolation.

The team and their star player now look ahead to next season for redemption.

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