Ronaldo’s evening came to an abrupt end after a heated confrontation ended with him losing his cool in the 86th minute on Monday. It wasn’t long after that Al-Nassr’s Saudi Super Cup dreams were dashed as Ronaldo’s team trailed 2-0 following goals from Salem Al Dawsari and Malcom. Ronaldo tried to speed up the game when the ball went out for a throw-in, but the referee promptly showed the ex-Manchester United forward his marching orders, effectively ending any chance of a late comeback.
The situation could have escalated further as Ronaldo looked ready to slam the ball onto the ground right in front of the referee, but he restrained himself. However, the 39-year-old showed his displeasure by sarcastically clapping the official and motioning for the crowd to join in. Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal’s performance at Euro 2024 this summer is being predicted before the tense stand-off with the officials, which occurred after Ronaldo was outraged by the decision to disallow a goal from Otavio.
Al-Nassr’s head coach, Luis Castro, was also livid with the decision to send Ronaldo off. The team’s focus will now shift to their upcoming league match against Al-Feiha next Friday. Their last realistic chance at silverware this season lies in the King Cup of Champions, where they’ll face Al-Khaleej in the semi-finals next month, before a potential decider against Al-Ittihad or Al-Hilal.
