Ronaldo was eliminated from King's Cup by Benzema's team despite having one more player

Cristiano Ronaldo and Al Nassr Club suffered a 1-2 defeat against opponent Al Ittihad in the 1/8 round of King's Cup Saudi Arabia.

Ronaldo was eliminated from the King's Cup Saudi Arabia round of 16 by Benzema's team (right) - Photo: REUTERS

Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and Al Nassr suffered a 1-2 defeat against opponent Al Ittihad in the 1/8 round of the King's Cup Saudi Arabia.

This defeat not only ended Al Nassr's 10-match winning streak but also extended CR7's sad "empty-handed" streak in all tournaments he has participated in since moving to Saudi Arabia.

Entering the match with great determination, Ronaldo's Al Nassr took the initiative. But they were the team that received the cold water first.

In the 15th minute, from a perfect counter-attack, Moussa Diaby coordinated well with Karim Benzema before passing the ball to the player wearing the number 9 shirt.

The French striker easily finished neatly, defeating goalkeeper Bento and opening the score 1-0 for Al Ittihad.

After an effort to attack, Al Nassr found an equalizer in the 30th minute. From Ronaldo's hard-fought cross from the left wing, Al Ittihad's defense fumbled and failed to clear the ball. This created an opportunity for Angelo Gabriel to shoot into the roof of the net, bringing the match back to the starting line.

However, Al Nassr's joy did not last long. Just before the end of the first half, Houssem Aouar restored the lead for Al Ittihad with a beautiful penetration and technical shot into the far corner.

The drama was heightened at the beginning of the second half. In the 49th minute, Al Nassr had a huge advantage when Al Ittihad's Ahmed Al Julaydan was shown a straight red card after a dangerous foul on Yahya.

Playing with one more player for most of the second half, the pressure was increasingly increased by Al Nassr's expensive attack, with the presence of Ronaldo, Sadio Mane and Joao Felix.

Ronaldo had an assist in Al Nassr's 1-2 defeat to Al Ittihad - Photo: REUTERS

However, despite all the efforts and numerical advantage, this superstar striker still could not penetrate the resilient defense of Al Ittihad. Al Nassr had to accept the 1-2 defeat and was eliminated from the King's Cup. Benzema's Al Ittihad won a ticket to the quarter-finals and will face Al Fateh.

Individual statistics show that, apart from the cross that led to the equalizer, Ronaldo had a poor night. He shot a total of 5 times but only one was on target.

The passing accuracy rate was only 83%, he did not successfully complete any dribbles and notably lost the ball 7 times. Ronaldo received a score of 6.9 from Sofascore after the match ended.

This is the second defeat this season that caused Al Nassr to miss the chance to lift the cup, after being eliminated in the Saudi Arabian Super Cup. More importantly, the failure at the King's Cup continues Ronaldo's "empty-handed" streak since joining Al Nassr.

It includes three trophyless Saudi Pro League seasons, four missed King's Cup appearances, never winning the Saudi Arabian Super Cup and two AFC Champions League failures.

Although the team's 10-match winning streak in all competitions (including 6 in the Saudi Pro League and 3 in the AFC Champions League Two) was broken, Al Nassr coach Jorge Jesus still called for calm.

He emphasized: "The team's biggest goal is still to win the domestic championship, as well as the continental tournament AFC Champions League Two - where Al Nassr is rated the highest in the tournament."

TUAN LONG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ronaldo-bi-doi-cua-benzema-loai-khoi-king-s-cup-du-choi-hon-nguoi-20251029082508558.htm