RIYADH: The night may have ended in relief for Al-Nassr as they secured a spot in the AFC Champions League group stages, but frustration had riddled the Saudi club’s 4-2 win against the UAE’s Shabab Al-Ahli as shown by Cristiano Ronaldo’s angry reaction at half-time.
The Riyadh club had taken an 11th-minute lead through Talisca before Yahya Al-Ghassani equalized for Shabab Al-Ahli seven minutes later.
As a tense and niggly match went into the break, Ronaldo was seen shouting in the face of the referee as he walked off the pitch, before shoving a member of Shabab Al-Ahli’s staff who was attempting to take a selfie with the Portuguese star.
Things did not improve for long periods of the second half and Al-Nassr came within two minutes of elimination before late goals by Sultan Al-Ghannam, Talisca, and Marcelo Brozovic saved the day.
It was not the first time that Ronaldo had let his frustrations get the better of him since joining Al-Nassr at the end of last year.
In April, he was criticized for his reaction toward Al-Hilal fans at the end of the Riyadh derby, which Al-Nassr lost 2-0.
As he walked off the pitch at the final whistle, Ronaldo was taunted by gleeful home fans who chanted the name of long-time rival Lionel Messi. Ronaldo then grabbed his crotch in a gesture that many saw as obscene toward the blue-clad supporters.
The incident even led to a Saudi lawyer calling for Ronaldo to be deported, but the Saudi Arabian Football Federation did not punish Al-Nassr’s captain after finding no evidence of wrong-doing.
