Huge blow for Cristiano Ronaldo, a camouflet with Al-Nassr

Cristiano Ronaldo undergoes real humiliation in Asia: his club, Al-Nassr, was eliminated in a resounding way in the semi-finals of the Asian Champions League by the frontal Kawasaki (2-3). While the Saudis were favorites and played at home, they were beaten by a more organized, faster and more realistic Japanese collective.

The match had however started well for the Portuguese, one of the few to off in this disillusionment. CR7 attempted a spectacular scissor and almost scored, touching the crossbar. But despite his efforts and several dangerous strikes, Cristiano remained silent, powerless in the face of the clinical efficiency of Kawasaki. Ito opened the scoring for visitors to a superb distant shot. Sadio Mané had briefly gave hope to Al-Nassr by equalizing on a confused action, but the rest turned to the nightmare.

Al-Nassr eliminated by a Japanese club

Just before the break, Ozeki doubled the bet for the Japanese, taking advantage of a apathetic Saudi defense. In the second half, Ienaga assembled the fatal blow after a good breakthrough of his teammate Erison. Yahya has reduced the scoring on a floating shot, but it was too little, too late. Ronaldo, in the last minutes, tried to make a difference alone, but his attempts were all captured by goalkeeper Thébault-Yamaguchi, author of a solid performance.

This elimination is a bitter reverse for the Portuguese legend, which saw in the Asian Champions League an opportunity to shine on a new continent. His dream of winning a major trophy with Al-Nassr is once again broken, in a competition where the club had nevertheless built a team of stars (Mané, Brozović, Laporte …). Worse, this defeat comes from a team considered to be lower on paper.

Cristiano Ronaldo, despite his obvious involvement and his will, sees a new chance of glory spinning him between his fingers. At 40, the opportunity to win a continental title in Asia seems more and more distant.