Cristiano Ronaldo refused to collect his runners-up medal after Al-Nassr were beaten 1-0 by 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 INFORMATION
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 field as Al-Nassr head coach Jorge Jesus led the team to the podium to receive the silver medals.
Despite the disappointment, Al-Nassr remains in contention for the domestic title. A win against relegation-threatened Damaca would secure them the league title, marking Ronaldo’s first trophy with the club since his arrival in 2023.
Cristiano Ronaldo is celebrating his birthday!
Players Jorge Jesus and Al Nasser came to receive their medals. However, Cristiano Ronaldo did not attend the ceremony. pic.twitter.com/n5ec3NPP31— D-Smart Spor (@SporSmart_) May 16, 2026
HOW THE GAME DEVELOPED
Al-Nassr controlled much of the game at the King Saud University Stadium but were frustrated by the brilliance of Gamba Osaka’s 18-year-old goalkeeper Rui Araki.
Araki struck early, beating Abdulrahman Ghareeb’s seventh-minute effort around the post, before Sadio ManE narrowly missed the target and hit 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 on to Issam Jebali’s well-timed ball and slotting it into the bottom corner beyond Bento.
Al-Nassr came close to equalizing before the break, with Ghareeb narrowly missing 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 beaten by the woodwork in the 77th minute, his long-range effort bouncing off the post after Araki was definitively beaten. Later, Gamba Osaka defender Takeru Kishimoto produced a crucial sliding block to deny Felix again, just moments after Ronaldo’s clever backheel had carved out space for the Portuguese forward in the box.
Despite relentless pressure, Al-Nassr were left to rue their missed chances as Gamba held firm to seal a famous victory.
– The end
Published on:
17 May 2026 08:40 IST
