Al Hilal defeated Al Nassr on penalties to win the King’s Cup, leaving Cristiano Ronaldo in tears.

Cristiano Ronaldo burst into tears when Al Nassr lost on penalties in the King’s Cup final to Al Hilal, who clinched the domestic double.

Hilal, who remained unbeaten in the Saudi Pro League (SPL) to win the title 14 points ahead of runners-up Nassr, won the shootout 5-4 on Friday to decide a final that ended 1-1 after extra time in Jeddah.

Ronaldo collapsed to the ground in anguish and was consoled by his teammates at King Abdullah Sports City. The result means that the Portuguese forward, who set a new SPL record this season with 35 goals, has yet to win a major championship since joining Nassr in January 2023. His only silverware came from the Arab Club Champions Cup last August.

In addition to failing in domestic tournaments, Ronaldo and Nassr were eliminated in the Asian Champions League quarterfinals by eventual winners Al Ain.

The King’s Cup, in which Nassr hoped to finally win a trophy, proved to be a tumultuous clash with two goals and three red cards.

Aleksandar Mitrovic put Hilal ahead after seven minutes, and things got worse for Nassr early in the second half when goalkeeper David Ospina, formerly of Arsenal and Napoli, was sent for handling the ball beyond the area.

Despite their numerical advantage, Hilal failed to add to their tally and were reduced to ten men after Ali Al Bulaihi was sent off for an apparent headbutt on Sami Al Najei in the 86th minute. Seconds later, Ayman Yahya led Nassr level.

Hilal had another defender sent off in the 91st minute after Kalidou Koulibaly, who joined from Chelsea last summer, received a second yellow card.

There were no goals in extra time, so the final went to a shootout. Ruben Neves missed Hilal’s first shot, as did former Manchester United defender Alex Telles for Nassr.

Ronaldo, who had already hit the post with a magnificent overhead kick, converted his penalty but could only watch as Yassine Bounou, a hero of Morocco’s journey to the 2022 World Cup quarterfinals, saved twice, first from Ali Al Hassan and then from Al Nemer.

The saves secured Hilal’s 11th King’s Cup victory, but Ronaldo and his club would have to wait until next season.