"Inter Miami without Messi is like Al-Nassr with Ronaldo" - Fans react as Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr get knocked out of AFC Champions League
Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr made a shock exit from the AFC Champions League on Monday (March 11) a day after longtime rival Lionel Messi watched Inter Miami suffer defeat. Luis Castro's men suffered a devastating 3-1 penalty shootout defeat to Al-Ain in the quarterfinals after a thrilling 4-3 win in extra time (4-4 aggregate draw) between the two sides.
Ronaldo, 39, and Messi, 36, are still rolling back the years despite leaving European football. The Portuguese icon made history by becoming the first player to win the UEFA Champions League on five occasions.
However, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner won't be adding an AFC Champions League winners' medal to his glistening trophy cabinet. His Al-Alami were sent packing from Asia's elite club competition by Hernan Crespo's Al-Ain.
Al-Nassr headed into tonight's game 1-0 down on aggregate. Their job became even tougher when Moroccan forward Soufiane Rahimi scored a fine double (28', 45') to make it 3-0 on aggregate.
However, the hosts got back into the tie in the 45+5th minute through Saudi Arabian winger Abdulrahman Ghareeb. They grabbed a leveler in the 51st minute through Al-Aid's Emirati goalkeeper Khalid Eisa's own goal thanks to persistence from Otavio.
It was 3-2 on aggregate to Al-Aid by this stage and Cristiano Ronaldo had a golden opportunity to put his side level. But, the Saudi Pro League top scorer produced one of the worst misses of his career in the 60th minute.
The ball fell to Ronaldo three yards in front of Eisa's goal but he fired wide of the post. Al-Nassr's skipper was shellshocked as were all of the supporters at Al-Awwal Park.
Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal teammate Alex Telles spared his blushes 12 minutes later. The former Manchester United left-back fired in a free kick to clinch a 3-2 comeback regulation-time victory.
Castro's side's mission became harder in the 98th minute when Ayman Yahya was sent off for petulant behavior. The Saudi winger was given his marching orders for violent conduct.
Despite this, Telles' strike took the tie to extra time with the sides locked at 3-3. But, it was Al-Aid who took advantage in the 103rd minute.
Emirati winger Sultan Al-Shamsi was on hand to slot home from close range after calamitous goalkeeping from the hosts' Saudi shot-stopper Raghed Al-Najjar. Al-Nassr were staring at elimination from the AFC Champions League.
Cristiano Ronaldo came to the rescue in the 118th minute. The Portugal captain struck from the spot, making up for his miss and taking the tie to penalties.
However, it would be heartbreak for Ronaldo and his side as they crashed out of the competition. The five-time UEFA Champions League scored his spot kick but it wasn't enough.
Marcelo Brozovic was denied by Eisa, Telles hit the crossbar and Otavio missed the deciding penalty. The visitors scored all of their three penalties to book their place in the AFC Champions League semifinals.
One fan took a dig at Ronaldo by alluding to his rival Messi and Inter Miami's struggles without the Argentine. The Herons suffered a 3-2 defeat to Montreal yesterday with their skipper absent:
"Inter Miami without Messi is like Al Nassr with Ronaldo."
Here's how fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to a disappointing night for Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr:
Lionel Messi reaches goalscoring milestone at a quicker rate than rival Cristiano Ronaldo
Messi is flourishing in the MLS with Inter Miami and bagged a brace in a 5-0 thrashing of Orlando City (March 2). The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner reached 500 career league goals in the process.
The Barcelona icon surpassed the 500-goal milestone in his 587th league game. He reached that goalscoring record quicker than Ronaldo who did so last season.
Cristiano Ronaldo took 654 matches to hit 500 goals, 67 games more than his Messi. The iconic duo's rivalry continues to take hold of world football despite their exits from European football.