Cristiano Ronaldo chased the referee after being sent into a furious rage by the denial of not one, but two penalty shouts while playing for Al-Nassr against Al-Raed in the Saudi Pro League on Friday night. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner had already scored his side’s opening goal at the time of the incident, with Al-Nassr taking an early lead in their bid to revive their fading title hopes by chasing down league leaders Al-Ittihad over the coming weeks.
Abdulrahman Gahreeb went on to double Al-Nassr’s advantage shortly after half-time before Ronaldo was left incensed by the refere’s refusal to award a penalty when he was felled by an opponent inside the box. The former Manchester United striker was chopped down as he bore down on goal in a challenge that appeared to overstep the mark, although the man with the whistle was unmoved and did not point to the spot.
A brief VAR check took place to review the incident but failed to overturn the on-field decision, leaving Ronaldo furious as he threw his arms around and screamed in frustration. He was then riled up again just seconds later when Al-Nassr’s fervent appeals for a handball in the box were quickly dismissed, prompting Ronaldo to chase after the referee in order to make his voice heard once the ball had gone out of play.
Ronaldo’s goal earlier in the game against Al-Raed marked his 12th in 14 appearances for Al-Nassr, who look set to miss out on the Saudi Pro League title barring a late collapse from Al-Ittihad over the coming weeks. They currently sit three points adrift of the league leaders, who have the added benefit of a game in hand and have won seven of their last eight matches in all competitions.
The furious incidents involving Ronaldo on Friday night came just days after Al-Nassr were forced to rubbish claims that ex-president Musalli Al-Muammar had said that the club had been ‘cheated’ by the Portuguese forward’s lucrative move to the Saudi side on a reported salary in excess of £3million per week.
Al-Nassr press advisor Walid Al-Muhaidib told reporters: “The talk in the Spanish press that we cheated on the Ronaldo deal, based on the Arabia News 50 website, is false and incorrect. The press came up with his joke and thought it was true.”
Meanwhile, former PSG ace Christoph Jallet recently slammed Ronaldo’s tendency to throw on-pitch tantrums after he was spotted fuming at the Al-Nassr bench following their defeat at the hands of Al-Wehda in the Saudi King Cup of Champions earlier this month.
He said to Canal+: “His behavior is unacceptable and damages his reputation. He has become the object of hatred, it’s not nice to see certain reactions. He is a sports legend and now he is ruining everything. I would have preferred to see him again at Sporting, I don’t understand why he made this choice.”
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