Sensitive defeats
© Imago
For Lionel Messi, Inter Miami will again be nothing with a large club title on the American continent. And his long-time rival at the highest level in world football Cristiano Ronaldo also had to accept a setback in the fight for his first trophy with Al-Nassr on Wednesday.
For the 37-year-old Argentine world champion and his US association, the final station was in the semi-finals of the Champion Cup. At the counterpart to the European Champions League in North and Central America, Miami lost the second leg against the Vancouver Whitecaps with 1: 3 (1: 0) and thus missed the entry into the final. Inter had already handed over the first leg in Vancouver, Canada, 0: 2. Miami even started to catch up: At Messi’s presentation, Jordi Alba scored 1-0 in the ninth minute. But the Canadians turned the game in the second half. A double strike by Brian White (51.) and Pedro Vite (53.) and the third goal by Sebastian Berhalter (71.) Messi’s dream again destroyed. Last season, Miami had left CF Monterrey from Mexico in the quarter -finals.
The Vancouver Whitecaps, superior leader in the Western Conference of the Major League Soccer (MLS), are for the first time in the final of the Champions Cup. The opponent in the final on June 1st is the winner of the purely Mexican semi -final between Cruz Azul and Uanl Tigres. After the 1-1 in the first leg, the decisive game takes place this Friday.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s title flaut at Al-Nassr stops
Ronaldo also has to wait for his first big title with Al-Nassr. The Saudi club, which was so valuable in the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League, surprisingly lost to the Japanese team Kawasaki Frontale with 2: 3. Al-Nassr dominated the encounter, but missed scoring goals. After the interim compensation by Sadio Mané, captain Ronaldo also left a top -class possibility. The eight -placed Japanese J1 League, however, was ice cold in front of the box. Former Magdeburg and Hamburg Tatsuya Ito scored for the first tour (10th), Yuto Ozeki (41.) and the 38-year-old Akihiro Ienaga (76.) increased after Manés Tor. For Al-Nassr, Ayman Yahya only succeeded (87th).
Ronaldo cannot continue to coins his impressive goal rate of 91 hits in 102 games since switching to Al-Nassr in 2023. The current contract of the Portuguese expires in summer, the future of the 40-year-old is now uncertain. The attacker, who is undoubtedly one of the greatest footballers of all time, has won five Champions League titles, three championships in the Premier League and two in Spain and Italy. Ronaldo also won the 2016 European Championship with Portugal and was awarded the prestigious balloon d’Or five times – only Messi comes here with eight on more honors.