Cristiano Ronaldo's tragic Saturday: Gamba Osaka win, Al-Hilal close | OneFootball

Cristiano Ronaldo went from dreaming of a historic Saturday to ending up empty-handed in a matter of hours. What could have been a double crowning day ended in frustration for the Portuguese star, who still has not been able to end his title drought since arriving in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr.

The first blow came before he even stepped onto the pitch. Al-Hilal, his closest challenger in the league, did its job and beat Neom Sports Club 2-0, a result that prevented CR7 from sealing the title early. What just hours earlier had looked like a comfortable finish turned into a wide-open ending: the gap was cut to two points, and everything will be decided on the final matchday.

But the day still had an even harder blow in store. With no chance left to celebrate quickly in the domestic tournament, Cristiano Ronaldo took the field for the Champions League Two final with the opportunity to lift his first trophy with the Saudi club. However, the Riyadh team failed again at the crucial moment and lost 1-0 to Gamba Osaka, which claimed the title.

So, within just a few hours, the Portuguese forward saw two concrete opportunities slip away: one because of other results, and the other on the pitch. The contrast is stark for a career defined by piling up trophies — 33 in total — won while wearing every shirt he has played in: Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, and the Portuguese national team. However, in Arabia he still has not found glory.

Now, the focus shifts exclusively to the league. Al-Nassr will head into the final round with only a slim advantage over Al-Hilal. And that is no small detail: if they finish level on points, the tiebreaker favors Karim Benzema’s team, since it won the first head-to-head meeting and drew the other.

The ending is even more unbelievable when you remember what happened in Al-Nassr’s last league match: it was beating Al-Hilal and was champion until, with 15 seconds left, its goalkeeper made a blunder and the direct showdown ended in a draw.

In this way, what had looked like a double coronation well on track turned into a finish full of tension. At 41 years old, and with the World Cup on the horizon, Cristiano will have one last shot to prevent his spell in Saudi football from continuing to be marked by an unexpected anomaly: the lack of titles.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.