Cristiano Ronaldo sends message to fans after Al Nassr 'dream' dies | OneFootball

Cristiano Ronaldo thanked Al Nassr's supporters and insisted that he was "proud" of his team after suffering elimination from the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League.

The Portuguese forward couldn't help his club avoid a 3-2 defeat to Japanese outfit Kawasaki Frontale on Wednesday evening in the single-leg knockout tie held in Saudi Arabia. Ronaldo didn't find the net despite rattling off eight shots, failing to properly make contact with one close-range effort in stoppage time.

At the final whistle, Ronaldo was spotted remonstrating with himself, seemingly walking through the closing stages of a deeply frustrating defeat.

"Sometimes the dream has to wait," the 40-year-old wrote on social media after the loss. "I'm proud of this team and everything we gave on the pitch. Thank you to all the fans who believed in us and stood by us every step of the way. Your support means the world."

Cristiano Ronaldo is once again leading the scoring charts in Saudi Arabia this season / Clicks Images/GettyImages

By crashing out of the Champions League, Al Nassr have effectively been consigned to another trophy-less season. The Riyadh-based side trail Karim Benzema's league-leading Al Ittihad by eight points with five matches remaining. Al Hilal are also two points above Ronaldo's third-placed outfit.

The side led by Stefano Pioli started the season by losing the Saudi Super Cup to Al Hilal before quickly tumbling out of the King's Cup in the last 16. Al Nassr had breezed past Japan's Yokohama F. Marinos in the Champions League quarter-finals before coming unstuck against their domestic rivals Kawasaki.

Ronaldo has not been short of goals since ditching Manchester United to join Al Nassr in December 2022. The relentlessly prolific forward boasts an impressive return of 91 in 102 appearances for the club, yet only has one minor trophy, last year's Arab Club Champions Cup, to show for his efforts.

Although there has been no announcement of any extension to a contract which expires in June, it has been claimed that Ronaldo will prolong his stay in Saudi Arabia as he continues his search for that elusive piece of silverware.