In a contentious football match, Cristiano Ronaldo found himself at the center of several controversial decisions as Al Hilal secured a 3-0 victory over Al Nassr.
The 36-year-old striker displayed his skills with a beautiful left-foot volley in the 72nd minute, seemingly bringing the hosts to a 1-0 lead. However, the goal was disallowed for offside, despite semi-automatic offside detection technology showing otherwise.
Despite having three additional opportunities to score, Ronaldo faced challenges, including hitting the defender, being blocked by the goalkeeper, and sending the ball just wide of the net. Sofascore rated his performance at 6.6 points, marking it as the fourth lowest on the team.
Controversy escalated when Colombian referee Wilmar Roldan issued a red card to midfielder Ali Al-Bulaihi in the final minutes of the game. Al-Bulaihi’s mocking gesture towards the away team’s audience warranted a yellow card, but the referee decided for an immediate dismissal. Post-match, Al-Bulaihi humorously commented, “We are still looking for Ronaldo. Maybe he is still in Luxembourg.”
In another heated moment in the 89th minute, Al Hilal was awarded a corner kick that resulted in a goal by Aleksandar Mitrovic, despite Ronaldo being knocked down by the Serbian striker. Mitrovic secured another goal in injury time, sealing the 3-0 victory for Al Hilal. The win allowed Al Hilal to maintain their top position, maintaining a seven-point lead over the second-placed team, Al Nassr.