Cristiano Ronaldo raised his elbow at Al-Hilal defender Ali Al-Bulaihi (Image: X)
Cristiano Ronaldo was shown a red card on Monday night during Al-Nassr’s defeat against Al-Hilal in the Saudi Arabian Super Cup. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner appeared to elbow an opponent before losing his cool with the referee, and his antics proved costly.
With Al-Nassr trailing 2-0, following goals from Salem Al-Dawsari and Malcom, the pressure was on for Luis Castro’s side to half the deficit heading into the final few minutes of the clash at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium.
Ronaldo was at the heart of the drama, with the ex-Real Madrid star letting his frustrations get the better of him in the 86th minute. After the ball was knocked out of play, the 39-year-old was keen to take a quick throw-in and start a counter-attack.
However, Al-Hilal defender Ali Al-Bulaihi had other ideas and intervened to ensure that the ball could not return to play whilst he and his teammates were out of position. Ronaldo was furious with the defender, initially shoving the 34-year-old before appearing to elbow him.
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Cristiano Ronaldo was shown a red card for his actions (Image: X)
Al-Bulaihi dropped to the ground clutching his upper chest/neck area, sparking a significant scuffle on the touchline. Al-Nassr’s Aymeric Laporte acted as a peacemaker throughout, separating Kalidou Koulibaly from Otavio and also guiding other stars away from the incident.
Though the ex-Manchester City defender could not defuse the situation enough to prevent referee Mohammed Al Hoaish from giving Ronaldo his marching orders. The Portuguese international was incensed by the decision, initially venting his frustration at the official before appearing to prepare himself to punch the ball near the referee before second-guessing his actions and walking away.
Cristiano Ronaldo was furious with the decision (Image: Getty)
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Ronaldo was spotted sarcastically applauding Al Hoaish as he left the pitch, whilst also encouraging the crowd to witness what had happened and join him in his frustrations. The supporters had other ideas though and instead used the opportunity to take aim at the former Manchester United star.
Chants of ‘Messi, Messi, Messi’ quickly rang around the stadium to cap off a poor evening for Ronaldo and his Al-Nassr teammates. Ex-Liverpool star Sadio Mane did manage to make it 2-1 with what ultimately proved a consolation goal, though Ronaldo may be left pondering whether he could have been part of an impressive comeback if he had not raised his elbow to an opponent in immature fashion.
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1886328/Cristiano-Ronaldo-Al-Nassr-Al-Hilal