A fuming Cristiano Ronaldo lost his first league game in Saudi Arabia with Al Nassr against Al Ittihad, which brought out an angry reaction from the captain as he kicked a stack of bottles at the full time whistle. The former Manchester United player lost his temper after his Al-Nassr team lost 1-0 to title rivals Al-Ittihad on the road, where fans further irked him by chanting his all-time rival Lionel Messi’s name.
While a teammate tried in vain to calm him down, Ronaldo did applaud his fans before storming off the field, raising his arms in the air and kicking a group of plastic water bottles. His first loss in the Saudi Pro League caused Al-Nassr to drop to second place as well, one point behind Al-Ittihad. The Portuguese forward was named player of the month in February after scoring eight goals in four games while playing for the club on a staggering £173 million-per-year contract.
Cristiano Ronaldo unable to control anger amidst first league loss
While the month of February was full of celebrations for Cristiano Ronaldo, who celebrated his 38th birthday on 5th and scored a staggering eight goals throughout the month, he was still unable to resolve the impasse against Al Ittihad for a second time. Brazil international Romarinho scored the game’s lone goal in the 80th minute from the penalty spot to secure the victory for Al Ittihad.
After having a volley cleared off the line just 10 minutes before, Romarinho finally scored the winner. Following the goal, Ronaldo was shown on video with his hands on his hips and a very angry expression on his face. In stoppage time, the former Real Madrid player managed to get his lone attempt on goal, but was unable to put the Al-Ittihad goalkeeper to a genuine test. He then stormed out of the tunnel while still making frantic gestures.
The entire stadium chanting Messi’s name. It’s kind of sad, even in Saudi Arabia Ronaldo cannot escape his shadow. pic.twitter.com/Svtoxcka3m
— MC (@CrewsMat10) March 9, 2023
The Al-Nassr captain also cracked a sarcastic smile to the Al Ittihad fans who yelled Lionel Messi’s name once more and even demanded that their team purchase Cristiano Ronaldo’s fierce rival. Al-Ittihad had also eliminated Al-Nassr from the Saudi Super Cup, handing Ronaldo his first loss in the Middle East since his shocking arrival in January. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was ridiculed by the home team’s supporters prior to the league match as well.
Although Al-Ittihad had more possession and twice as many shots on goal as Rudi Garcia’s Al-Nassr, the game had the appearance of waning to a scoreless draw, which would have at least comforted Ronaldo’s side. After the game, the Portuguese superstar posted a message on social media, although this was unrelated to his actions at the conclusion of the game and instead emphasised the necessity for the team to maintain its composure in the face of defeat. Ronaldo wrote on his Twitter:
“Disappointed with the result, but we stay focused on our season and the games ahead. Thank you Al Nassr fans for your support, we know we can count on you!”
With their second loss of the season, Al-Nassr now trail Al-Ittihad by one point in the title race. Several Al-Nassr fans were furious with Cristiano Ronaldo for his performance after the Portuguese player managed just one shot on target throughout the 90 minutes and has now gone two games without scoring.