It couldn't have happened. Surely it shouldn't have happened.
But it did.
Despite being huge favourites to march on to the AFC Champions League Elite final, Al Nassr's quest to move one step closer to being crowned champions of Asia for the first time came to an end on Wednesday -- with a shock 3-2 semifinal loss to Kawasaki Frontale.
The result also means a certain Cristiano Ronaldo will have to wait at least another year if he is to add an Asian title to the five UEFA Champions League winner's medals he garnered prior to moving to Saudi Arabia.
At 40, it remains to be seen how many more years he has in his legs with time seemingly running out as he bids to do what Al Nassr splashed out the big bucks for -- having one of football's all-time greats leading them to major silverware for the first time since 2019.
Yet, as much as it was certainly disrespectful to Kawasaki, there was almost a universal consensus that it was going to be Al Nassr marching on to Saturday's ACL Elite final and setting up an all-Saudi Pro League affair with Al Ahli.
Somehow, for all the expensively-assembled talent at Al Nassr's disposal, they were notably second best to their Japanese opponents -- who boasted just one import player in their starting XI.
On the contrary, Ronaldo might have been the biggest name on the Al Nassr teamsheet but he was far from the only prominent one.
Sadio Mané. Jhon Durán. Marcelo Brozović. Even a five-time Premier League champion in Aymeric Laporte had to settle for a place on the bench, before Al Nassr's lacklustre display meant that he was called into action even before the halftime whistle had sounded.
So how did an evening that promised so much end up in bitter disappointment?
For one, plenty of credit has to go to Kawasaki and their coach Shigetoshi Hasebe, who pulled off one of best tactical masterclasses the tournament has witnessed in recent times.
On the biggest night of their campaign yet, Hasebe decided to leave four regular starters -- all boasting heaps of experience that would have been useful against a star-studded outfit like Al Nassr -- on the bench.
Five, if you include Shin Yamada, their top scorer in all competition in 2024 with 21 goals, who has been regularly rotated with Erison as the focal point in attack in this year.
Neither started against Al Nassr as Hasebe audaciously decided to hand 19-year-old Soma Kanda his first professional start -- in only his fourth senior outing -- on the biggest of stages.
A similar opportunity was given to Yuto Ozeki, also born in 2005, and for their lack of experience, their sheer youthful exuberance in pressing from the front immediately unsettled Al Nassr.
So often the midfield metronome, Croatia international Brozović hardly had more than a split second on the ball in the opening exchanges.
With wingers Tatsuya Itō and Marcinho tucking in on the numerous occasions when Kawasaki weren't in possession, it left Al Nassr unable to work their way through the middle.
Ronaldo started dropping deep with increasing frequency but found himself surrounded by countless opponents. Mané was also often crowded out whenever he tried to cut in from the left.
On the one occasion when the latter managed to create just enough space for himself as the opposition defence backed off, he would fire away a deflected equaliser to cancel out Itō's stunning volleyed opener.
But as Kawasaki continued to display dare despite being pegged back, Al Nassr continued to be off the pace.
Some hesistant defending allowed Kawasaki, with the aid of a fortuituous ricochet, to reclaim their lead in the 41st minute through a neat finish from Ozeki.
Three minutes later, rather than wait for halftime, Al Nassr coach Stefano Pioli made two changes -- including Laporte.
Right at the start of halftime, in what was now understood as a premeditated move, Kanda and Ozeki were both replaced by Erison and Yasuto Wakizaka -- their senior teammates whose places in the starting XI they had originally taken.
By the 64th minute, 38-year-old maestro Akihiro Ienaga -- who likely wouldn't have lasted the entire contest -- was also introduced.
In contrast to Pioli's desperate knee-jerk substitutions before the break, Hasebe's had clearly been premeditated.
What a masterstroke it turned out to be as, in the 76th minute, two of these replacements combined to devastating effect -- Erison embarking on an enterprising run after initially tricking his opponent into thinking he had nowhere to go before laying a pass on a platter for Ienaga to sweep home.
With nothing to lose now, Al Nassr finally showed urgency.
Yet, it proved to be too little too late. Perhaps the one aspect that cost Al Nassr most dearly was a lack of a clinical edge in front of goal, even if Ayman Yahya's unstoppable long-range effort with three minutes remaining set up a grandstand finish.
Having already missed a gilt-edged opportunity in the first half, Durán then completely missed the ball with a wild swing from close range after a ball over the top had finally caught out the Kawasaki defence.
The offside flag may have spared his blushes but replays showed a secondary touch by Mané would have made him onside. Had he even got half a decent connection and put the ball into the back of the net, VAR would have awarded the goal.
Ronaldo also had his fair share of chances, even if they might have been of a higher degree of difficulty.
Ever insistent on utilising the knuckleball technique he made mainstream -- but which others have since seemed to have mastered better than him -- he would send two freekicks from promising positions straight into the wall.
By the time he lined up a third, Ayman -- fresh from showing what he could produce from distance -- was almost pleading to be given a shot to no avail. On this occasion, Ronaldo finally decided to do away with the knuckleball and simply drill a low shot as hard as he could towards goal.
It was an attempt with far more conviction but one that Kawasaki goalkeeper Louis Yamaguchi was equal to.
Moments later came one final chance for Ronaldo to have his moment.
As Laporte, now desperately deployed as a makeshift target man, nodded a hopeful delivery into the box, the ever-alert Ronaldo ghosted free and took the ball past Yamaguchi.
With the goal gaping, the Portuguese icon looked destined to equalize -- only for Asahi Sasaki to slam the door shut in his face with a, game-winning, ACL Elite final-securing, last-ditch block-tackle.
While Kawasaki did eventually ride their luck, especially in those nervy closing stages, the endeavour they had shown earlier suggested they deserved a touch of fortune.
The same cannot be said for Al Nassr, whose tepidness when they needed to be bold ultimately resulted in their ACL Elite dream going all wrong.