Ronaldo’s Al Nassr Reach Saudi Kings Cup Semi Finals After Dismantling Abha

• Al-Nassr dusted off their disappointing result against Al-Ittihad last week to return to winning ways
• Rudi Garcia's men romped to a comfortable 3-1 victory over Abha in the 2023 Saudi Arabia Kings Cup
• However, captain and marksman Cristiano Ronaldo failed to find the back of the net for a third time

Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr returned to winning ways as they punched their ticket to the semi-finals of the Saudi Kings Cup, beating Abha 3-1 on Tuesday.

Goals from Sami Al Najei, Abdullah Al Khaibari, and Mohammed Maran rendered Abdulfattah Adam's strike a consolation as Al-Nassr sealed a semi-final spot.

The home side sprinted out the blocks right from the onset when Al Najei found the back of the net after just nine seconds.

His goal put Rudi Garcia's men in the driving seat to assert their authority on the knockout tie before Al Khaibari doubled the lead, sending the crowd at MrSool Park into a frenzy.

A young football fan travels several hours to watch Ronaldo play for Al-Nassr

Football

Al-Nassr continued to lay siege on the opposition's goal area with incessant attacks but failed to add to their tally before recess.

Four minutes after the break, Maran ended the tie as a contest with the game's third goal but Abha managed to score a consolation nine minutes after the hour mark.

It proved to be a case of much ado about nothing as Al-Nassr held on to join Al-Ittihad and Al-Wehda in the semi-finals of the 2023 Kings Cup.

However, it was also the third consecutive game in which veteran forward, Ronaldo failed to score for the Saudi giants.

Up next for Rudi Garcia's charges is a home game in the Saudi Pro League against the same opposition, Abha, on March 18.

Ronaldo handed maiden loss

The Ronaldo influence: young girl in Al-Nassr jersey copies superstar's trademark 'Siuuu' celebration

Football

Sports Brief previously reported on Ronaldo tasted his first defeat in the Saudi Pro League defeat since joining Al-Nassr.

The 38-year-old had a near-perfect record since moving to the Middle East until his team suffered a 1-0 defeat at Al-Ittihad.

The result saw the rival club leapfrog Ronaldo's Al-Nassr to claim the top spot as they hunt down a ninth league crown.