Cristiano Ronaldo’s wait for a major title in Saudi Arabia could soon be over with Al Nassr now in the Asian Champions League Two final.
Ronaldo, who moved to Saudi Arabia in 2022, captained Al Nassr to a 5-1 triumph over Qatar’s Al Ahli SC on Wednesday to set up a meeting with Japanese side Gamba Osaka in the final on May 16 in Riyadh.
“Proud of the team. The final is waiting!” Ronaldo, 41, wrote on Instagram.
Al Nassr coach Jorge Jesus was all smiles after Wednesday’s victory.
“Congratulations to my players,” Jorge Jesus said. “We reached our goal, to reach the final. We showed a lot of quality in this game. The players are in a very good moment. To play every three days, showing this rhythm, you have to have very good physical quality.”
Asked about his team’s chances of lifting the trophy on May 16, the Portuguese coach said: “In a final there are two teams and one has to lose! The difficult thing is to get there, that’s what we did. We’ve reached the final, now anything can happen!”
Al Nassr may even lift a trophy before the Asian Champions League Two final. They are eight points clear of Al Hilal at the top of the Saudi Pro League with five games remaining. Al Hilal do have a game in hand.
Ronaldo has scored 24 league goals this season, three less than the league’s leading goalscorer Ivan Toney of Al Ahli.
Al Nassr are riding a 14-game winning streak in the league heading into their home game against Al-Ahli on April 29. The Portugal captain is 31 goals away from 1,000 career goals.
