Ronaldo snubs runners-up medal after Al Nassr's AFC Champions League 2 final loss

Cristiano Ronaldo walked straight down the tunnel after Al Nassr lost 1-0 to Gamba Osaka in the AFC Champions League 2 final. The Portuguese superstar didn't turn up to collect the runners-up medal during the presentation.

In Short

• Al Nassr lost 0-1 to Gamba Osaka
• Teen goalkeeper Rui Araki repeatedly denied Al Nassr despite sustained pressure
• Ronaldo went straight to the tunnel after the final loss

Cristiano Ronaldo refused to collect his runners-up medal after Al-Nassr suffered a 1-0 defeat to Gamba Osaka in the AFC Champions League Two final on Saturday night. Deniz Hommet’s decisive strike at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh proved enough to hand Gamba Osaka the title and leave Ronaldo still searching for his first major title with the Saudi side.

SAUDI PRO LEAGUE: FULL COVERAGE

After the final whistle, Cristiano Ronaldo was seen walking away from his Al-Nassr teammates and heading straight down the tunnel, skipping the medal ceremony. He did not return to the pitch as Al-Nassr head coach Jorge Jesus led the squad up to the podium to receive their silver medals.

Despite the disappointment, Al-Nassr remains in contention for the domestic title. A win against relegation-threatened Damac would secure them the league title, which would mark Ronaldo’s first trophy with the club since his arrival in 2023.

HOW THE GAME UNFOLDED

Al-Nassr controlled large parts of the game at the King Saud University Stadium but found themselves frustrated by the brilliance of Gamba Osaka’s 18-year-old goalkeeper Rui Araki.

Araki made an early impact, tipping Abdulrahman Ghareeb’s seventh-minute effort around the post, before Sadio ManE narrowly missed the target, hitting the side-netting 16 minutes later as the Saudi side pushed forward aggressively.

However, against the run of play, Gamba Osaka struck on the half-hour mark. Deniz Hommet finished calmly from 16 yards, latching onto Issam Jebali’s perfectly timed through ball and placing it into the bottom corner past Bento.

Al-Nassr came close to equalising before the break, with Ghareeb missing narrowly and Cristiano Ronaldo heading just wide in stoppage time, as Jorge Jesus’ side continued to dominate possession and chances.

The pressure continued in the second half, but Joao Flix was denied by the woodwork in the 77th minute, his long-range effort bouncing off the post after Araki was finally beaten. Late on, Gamba Osaka defender Takeru Kishimoto produced a crucial sliding block to deny Felix again, just moments after Ronaldo’s clever backheel had carved open space for the Portuguese forward inside the box.

Despite relentless pressure, Al-Nassr were left to rue their missed chances as Gamba held firm to seal a famous victory.

- Ends