In a thrilling match on Monday, Al-Nassr, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, lost 3-1 on penalties against Al-Ain, sending the Saudi Pro League team out of the Asian Champions League in the quarterfinals.
Al-Nassr overcame a 1-0 first leg deficit to win 4-3 on Monday; nevertheless, the game finished 4-4 overall, forcing a shootout, which Al-Ain won.
Al-Nassr’s international imports, Miroslav Brozovic, Alex Telles, and Otavio, all missed penalties as the United Arab Emirates team proceeded to the semi-finals. Next month, they will play one of the two Saudi Arabian teams, Al-Hilal or Al-Ittihad.
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After a lackluster performance, Al-Ain goalkeeper Khalid Eisa made amends by saving Brozovic’s opening penalty. Otavio’s error meant that Al-Nassr was eliminated, and Soufiane Rahimi, Kaku, and Sultan Al Shamsi all converted.
Seven goals, one red card, and an exciting match at Al-Awwal Park culminated in a shootout, with Al-Ain building on their first-leg advantage in the first forty-five minutes.
Rahimi, who also scored the game’s first goal for Al-Ain, gave the visitors the lead in the 28th and 45th minutes, but Abdulrahman Ghareeb’s goal five minutes into injury time preserved Al-Nassr’s chances.
Six minutes into the second half, Khaled Eisa parried Otavio’s low drive into his own goal. Eighteen minutes later, Alex Telles tied the score with a low free kick that beat Eisa through a huddle of men.
Eight minutes into extra time, Al-Nassr’s Ayman Yahya was sent off for a nasty two-footed lunge on Bandar Al-Ahbabi. A minute later, Al-Shamsi appeared to have won the match when he poked home after Raghid Najjar mishandled the ball.
But with two minutes left, Ronaldo scored from the penalty spot after Saeed Jumaa had brought down the Portuguese striker in the area, forcing a shootout.
Al-Ain reached the final four for the first time since 2016 thanks to Ronaldo, the only one of Al-Nassr’s four penalty takers to convert.
After splitting a 1-1 draw the previous week, South Korean teams Ulsan Hyundai and Jeonbuk Motors will play each other on Tuesday in the eastern half of the draw.
Harry Kewell’s Yokohama F Marinos team will take on Shandong Taishan of the Chinese Super League on Wednesday, hoping to hold onto a 2-1 lead at home.
:Michael Church provided the reporting.
