No Champions Trophy for Messi and Ronaldo As Inter Miami, Al Nassr Crash Out in Quarter Finals

• Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi failed to win a Champions trophy for their respective clubs this season
• Al-Nassr lost to Al Ain in a penalty shootout in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League last month
• Inter Miami lost to Monterrey FC in the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup on Wednesday

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi can't win them all.

The football icons failed to add the AFC Champions League and CONCACAF Champions Cup titles to their list of trophies, with Al-Nassr and Inter Miami both crashing out in the quarter-finals of those tournaments.

Sports Brief looks at the reasons behind their early exits.

Comparing Messi and Ronaldo's Champions QF exits

Messi's Inter Miami lose to Monterrey FC

Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez sons win another trophy fro Inter Miami academy

Football

One of the trophies that Inter Miami was hoping to win this season is the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

They qualified for this tournament after capturing the Leagues Cup title last season, their first championship with Messi in their lineup.

The Argentine star's importance to the side was evident during that title run, with Messi recording 10 goals and four assists in his first competition with Inter Miami.

The Herons have struggled without Messi in their lineup. They have won just twice in 12 matches, recording six losses and four draws when their captain is sidelined.

One of those six defeats came in their first-leg clash against Monterrey FC in the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarter-finals.

Messi failed to recover from his leg injury in time for that clash, and the Herons struggled as a result.

They squandered a 1-0 lead in the second half, with Maximiliano Meza and Jorge Rodríguez scoring the goals for the Monterrey in the 69th and 89th minutes.

Lionel Messi: Inter Miami star leads most valuable players in CONCACAF Champions Cup QF

Football

Down 2-1 in the tie, Inter Miami got a major boost with Messi returning to the lineup ahead of Wednesday's second leg.

However, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner couldn't inspire his side to victory, as they lost 3-1 on the night and 5-2 on aggregate to the Mexican club.

Brandon Vazquez opened the scoring for Monterrey in the 31st minute, taking full advantage of an error by Inter Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender.

They broke the match open in the second half, with Germán Berterame and Jesus Gallardo scoring goals in the 58th and 64th minutes, respectively.

Ronaldo's Al-Nassr lose to Al Ain

Ronaldo loves playing in the Champions League. In his illustrious football career, he won five European Cups, one with Manchester United and four with Real Madrid.

With his move to Saudi club Al-Nassr, the Portuguese star's next trophy target was to win the 2023-24 AFC Champions League.

Messi Cheers Inter Miami’s Opening Goal vs Monterrey FC As He Sits Out CONCACAF Champions Cup QF

Football

Ronaldo and co. got off to an excellent start in the competition, qualifying for the knockout round after topping Group E.

They finished with 14 points after recording four wins and two draws. Ronaldo scored three goals in the group stage, including a brace against Al-Duhail SC.

He helped Al-Nassr reach the Champions League quarter-finals, scoring two of their goals in the 3-0 aggregate win over Al-Fayha.

Ronaldo returned from a one-match suspension and started for Al-Nassr in the first leg of their last-8 clash with Al Ain.

The hosts spoiled his comeback, though, with Soufiane Rahimi giving Al Ain the 1-0 advantage heading into the second leg in Riyadh.

Al Ain grabbed a 3-0 aggregate lead in the second leg after Rahimi scored a brace in the first half. Al-Nassr launched a furious fightback, though, with Alex Telles tying the aggregate score at 3-3 after a goal in the 72nd minute.

Miami, without Messi, falls 2-1 in first leg to Monterrey

Football

The match went to penalties after Ronaldo scored an equaliser in the dying minutes of extra time. His spot kick was the only penalty Al-Nassr scored in the shootout as they crashed out in the quarters, per CBS Sports.

Messi jeered with Ronaldo chants

Sports Brief recently reported on Monterrey fans jeering Messi in their Champions Cup quarter-final clash.

The Mexican fans subjected Messi to Cristiano Ronaldo chants in their second-leg encounter.

The former Barcelona star had a night to forget, with Monterrey eliminating Inter Miami.