Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr suffers a disappointing exit, losing 2-1 to 10-man Al Ittihad in King’s Cup

Al Nassr confronted Al-Ittihad in the round of 16 of the Saudi King’s Cup on Sunday, with Christiano Ronaldo‘s side came in as the clear favorites after a strong league run that has seen them top of the standings. Despite Karim Benzema’s side being reduced to ten men early in the second half, Al Nassr suffered a shock exit from the competition.

Al Ittihad opened the scoring after a deadly counter-attack in the 15th minute, when Moussa Diaby delivered a precise cross for Benzema to score the first goal. Al Nassr equalized in the 30th minute through Angelo’s powerful strike after a deflection of a Ronaldo cross, but Houssem Aouar restored the lead in first-half stoppage time with what turned out to be the winner.

Aiming for a comeback after the break Al-Ittihad dropped to ten men in the 49th minute when Ahmed Al Julaydan was shown a red card for a reckless challenge on Mohamed Simakan’s head, forcing the defender off the field with an injury. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Al Ittihad managed to hold on, and with Ronaldo failing to convert key chances inside the penalty area, Al Nassr suffered another setback in his quest for silverware.

Al Ittihad ends Al Nassr’s streak

After a strong summer transfer window in 2025 that stars like Iñigo Martínez, Kingsley Coman and João Félixexpectations were high that Al Nassr would compete on all fronts. Despite a promising start to the 2025-2026 season following their defeat in the Saudi Super Cup final, Benzema’s Al Ittihad ended Al Nassr’s impressive run.

Since matchday 1 of the Saudi Pro League on August 29 Al Nassr had put together a ten-match winning streak in all competitions, six in the league, three in the AFC Champions League Two and one in the King’s Cup. Interestingly, one of those wins came against Al Ittihad, but when the two sides met again in the King’s Cup, Al Nassr were unable to extend their dominant run.

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What silver options remain for Ronaldo and Al Nassr?

After setbacks in both the Saudi Super Cup and the King’s Cup, Ronaldo has already missed two chances to lift a trophy with Al Nassr in the 2025-2026 season. Still, the Portuguese legend and his team still have chances to add silverware before the campaign ends.

Al Nassr remains alive in two major competitions: the Saudi Pro League and the AFC Champions League Two. Manager Jorge Jesus has already emphasized that the league title is the club’s top priority this seasonbut the continental tournament could prove a more realistic path to success in 2025-2026.