Cristiano Ronaldo was visibly furious after having two penalty appeals denied during Al Nassr’s match against Shabab Al Ahli.
In the Asian Champions League play-off, Al Nassr took a 1-0 lead with a goal from Anderson Talisca, who has been linked with a return to his former club Besiktas.
However, a double from Yahya Al Ghassani propelled the United Arab Emirates team to a 2-1 advantage, causing a complete reversal in the game’s dynamics.
Al Nassr, determined to recover, mounted a strong offensive and equalized through Sultan Al Ghannam in the 88th minute, followed by a dramatic 95th-minute winner from Anderson Talisca.
Adding to the scoreline, former Inter Milan midfielder Marcelo Brozovic extended their lead to 4-2 in the seventh minute of added time.
Nonetheless, during the match, Ronaldo made headlines for his evident frustration at half-time.
These clear cut penalties were robbed from Al Nassr.
It’s always Cristiano Ronaldo against everyone… pic.twitter.com/QLqx25yPSv
— Kushagra 1970 (@KushagraPSG) August 22, 2023
In the first half he had an acrobatic effort blocked by a flailing arm only for no penalty to be awarded, while he felt as though he should have had another spot-kick having been blocked in the area.
As he has been seen doing before in Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo was furious as he walked down the tunnel. Having already screamed at the referee on the pitch, he appeared to tell an official to “wake up” and shouted “F***ing hell!” before shoving a spectator who was trying to take a selfie with him.
🚨Cristiano Ronaldo left the field very angrypic.twitter.com/h1ORe1Dusl
— VAR Tático (@vartatico) August 22, 2023
Since his move to Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo has notched up an impressive 20 goals in 26 appearances, and his influence has prompted numerous notable players to follow suit.
An intriguing development is that, despite being the match hero, Talisca might potentially be omitted from the club’s Asian Champions League roster as per reports.
The Asian Confederation’s rules stipulate that only five players born outside of the continent are allowed to participate in the Asian Champions League.
Naturally, Captain and talisman Ronaldo is one of them. In addition, the club has also brought in Sadio Mane, Seko Fofana, Marcelo Brozovic, and Alex Telles during a busy transfer window.
Talisca has hit 46 goals since joining from Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande in 2021 butSportsay he may have his contract terminated in order to comply to the regulations.