Cristiano Ronaldo watches in disbelief after Al Nassr suffer cruel 98th minute own goal against Al Hilal

Cristiano Ronaldo watches in disbelief after Al Nassr suffer cruel 98th minute own goal against Al Hilal (Image via Getty)

Cristiano Ronaldo looked heartbroken on Tuesday night after Al-Nassr’s Saudi Pro League title celebration was suddenly stopped by a shocking own goal in the 98th minute. The Portuguese star thought his team was finally moving closer to winning the league title after Mohamed Simakan gave Al-Nassr the lead against Al-Hilal. But everything changed in the final seconds when goalkeeper Bento accidentally punched the ball into his own net during a late Al-Hilal attack. The painful moment left Ronaldo sitting alone on the bench after the final whistle while his fiancée Georgina Rodriguez and his children watched from the stands. Cameras showed the 41-year-old looking emotional and frustrated as Al-Nassr missed a big chance to almost seal the title race. Ronaldo has scored 26 league goals this season and continues to play an important role for the club, but the wait for his first major Saudi league trophy is still not over.

Cristiano Ronaldo left stunned after Bento own goal changes Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal title race

Al-Nassr started the match strongly at Al-Awwal Park and looked fully in control for most of the night. Mohamed Simakan scored in the first half to put the home side ahead, and the goal looked enough to move Al-Nassr closer to their first Saudi Pro League title since 2019. Cristiano Ronaldo also played an active role before being substituted in the closing minutes. Fans inside the stadium gave him a loud standing ovation as he walked off the pitch. At that point, Al-Nassr supporters were already beginning to believe the title race was almost finished. But football can change in seconds. Deep into stoppage time, Al-Hilal pushed everybody forward for one final attack. A long throw came into the penalty area, and goalkeeper Bento rushed out to clear the danger. Instead of punching the ball away safely, the Brazilian goalkeeper collided with teammate Inigo Martinez and accidentally sent the ball over his own head toward goal. Defender Abdulelah Al-Amri tried desperately to clear it, but the ball had already crossed the line. The own goal made it 1-1 and completely changed the mood inside the stadium. After the match, television cameras showed Ronaldo sitting quietly in the dugout. He looked close to tears while staring at the pitch. One Al-Nassr staff member later walked over and tapped him on the shoulder in support. Ronaldo then slowly stood up, shook his head in disappointment, and walked down the tunnel with his head lowered. Despite the draw, Al-Nassr are still leading the title race by five points over Al-Hilal. However, Al-Hilal have two games left while Al-Nassr only have one remaining match against Damac next week. Ronaldo has already scored 127 goals in 146 matches for Al-Nassr since joining the Saudi club after leaving Manchester United in 2022. But so far, the Arab Club Champions Cup remains the only trophy he has won with the Saudi side. Big names like Kingsley Coman, Joao Felix, Sadio Mane, Marcelo Brozovic, and Inigo Martinez are also part of the Al-Nassr squad this season.

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