Iranian football fans flock to see Ronaldo, Al-Nassr arrive in country for AFC Champions League match

Cristiano Ronaldo fever has hit Tehran as the Portuguese superstar and his Al-Nassr team arrived in the Iranian capital on Monday.
Short Url
Updated 13 August 2024
Follow

Iranian football fans flock to see Ronaldo, Al-Nassr arrive in country for AFC Champions League match

  • Saudi club taking on Iranian team Persepolis in opening round of AFC Champions League
  • Images shared on X showed banner across main road in Tehran welcoming Ronaldo

LONDON: Cristiano Ronaldo fever on Monday hit Tehran as the Portuguese football star and his Al-Nassr teammates arrived in the Iranian capital.

The Saudi club are taking on Iranian team Persepolis at the city’s Azadi Stadium on Tuesday for their opening match of the AFC Champions League.

Videos posted on social media showed hundreds of fans outside the Espinas Palace Hotel in Tehran — where the Al-Nassr team will be staying — waiting to greet the team bus.

Images shared on X also showed a banner across a main road in Tehran welcoming Ronaldo and the team.

In a touching moment, one young Iranian fan got his dream wish after meeting his idol Ronaldo after a viral video the night before showed the boy weeping because he was unable to see the star at the team’s hotel in Tehran.

Al-Nassr officials arranged for the boy to meet the icon, releasing a video showing Ronaldo welcoming him warmly with a high-five and a hug and taking a picture with the young fan, who surprised the star with his signature “Siu” goal celebration.

Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr at the start of this year, a move that sparked a flurry of top-level signings to the Saudi Pro League during the summer transfer window.

Al-Nassr fans will be hoping Ronaldo can bring AFC Champions League glory to the Riyadh club, which was runner-up in the competition in 1995.


Real Madrid lose second straight and miss chance to close gap on Liga leader Barcelona

Updated 03 March 2026
Follow

Real Madrid lose second straight and miss chance to close gap on Liga leader Barcelona

  • Getafe held on to secure a historic win, its first at the Santiago Bernabeu since 2008, and a vital three points in its bid to stay in La Liga

MADRID: Real Madrid lost a second straight La Liga match when a stunning volley from Martín Satriano gave Getafe a shock 1-0 win at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Monday.
The result prevented the capital club from cutting the four-point gap to leader Barcelona.
Getafe had lost all eight of its previous league encounters with Real Madrid and early saves from goalkeeper David Soria kept it from falling behind.
Soria turned over a shot from Arda Güler midway through the first half, not long after frustrating Vinicius Junior when he was through on goal.
Madrid had more of the ball but lacked punch up front and it paid a price for its profligacy six minutes before halftime when Getafe took the lead.
A hopeful cross from the right was headed clear but it fell to the feet of Satriano, who volleyed into the roof of the net from 20 meters out.
It was the second goal in three games for the Uruguayan, who joined on loan from Lyon during the last transfer window.
Madrid continued to dominate possession in the second half and Antonio Rüdiger and substitute Rodrygo were among those who came close to grabbing an equalizer.
But it could not find a way past Getafe’s stuffy rearguard and an in-form Soria.
Madrid’s task became even harder when Franco Mastantuono was sent off for dissent in stoppage time and although the numbers were evened up in the last minute when Getafe’s Adrian Liso was also shown a red card it came too late to make any impact.
Getafe held on to secure a historic win, its first at the Santiago Bernabeu since 2008, and a vital three points in its bid to stay in La Liga.
“Coming here is always very difficult,” Getafe defender Kiko Femenía told broadcaster DAZN. “We have to congratulate the team, we did a superb job at the back and we scored when had the chance. We might even have scored more on the counterattack.”
They jumped three league places into 11th and were eight points above the relegation zone.