Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo

On Tuesday, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr was soundly defeated by Al-Hilal, but the Portuguese was not going down without a fight. During Al-Nassr’s 2-0 loss against Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League, the skipper Ronaldo was shown yellow for an ugly challenge.

Former Manchester United striker Odion Ighalo scored twice from the penalty spot as Al-Hilal overcame Al-Nassr, putting a possible end to Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates’ title dreams. But, rather of letting his feet do the talking, Ronaldo was booked shortly before the hour mark with his team down 1-0 after making a challenge that resembled something out of a WWE ring.

Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo was unable to inspire Al Nassr in their title race as they fell to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Al-Hilal. Credits: Twitter

Cristiano Ronaldo grabs headlines in Al Nassr defeat with WWE-resembling challenge

Cristiano Ronaldo had a frustrating night against Al-Hilal, as his side saw their title hopes fade away with a damning defeat. Moreover, it was more individual frustration for the 38-year-old skipper who has now fired blanks in his last two league outings, which have rather contributed more to Al Nassr’s title bid walking away from them.

And the frustration finally got the better of the former Real Madrid star, who jumped onto his opponent  Gustavo Cuellar, wrapped his right arm around his neck before wrestling him to the ground with his whole weight in a WWE-style headlock.

Despite his aggressive behaviour, Cristiano Ronaldo was simply booked with a yellow card by the game’s referee, the veteran Premier League official Michael Oliver. Although the fact that there was no obvious attempt from the Portugal international to play the aerial ball above their heads when he made his challenge.

With 15 minutes remaining and his team trailing 2-0, Ronaldo eventually found the net after sprinting onto a long ball and blasting home, only to be controversially flagged offside. Al-Nassr recently parted ties with manager Rudi Garcia after claims of dressing room strife, allegedly involving Ronaldo.

Following the dreary 0-0 stalemate at Al Feiha last week, Ronaldo expressed his rage, shouting at both the opponents and his own teammates. The Portuguese star dashed down the tunnel, forcing Garcia and his teammates to leave the pitch without him.

According to reports in Portugal, Ronaldo was unsatisfied with the club’s direction under the ex-Lyon manager. Diario AS further went on to claim that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner expressed his feelings behind the scenes, believing that with a different manager in charge, they could play at a greater level. Nonetheless, Cristiano Ronaldo conveyed his best wishes to Garcia following the confirmation of the manager’s Al Nassr departure.

Former youth team coach Dinko Jelicic took over as interim manager in Garcia’s place. Needing a win away at Al-Hilal to keep pace with league leaders Al-Ittihad, Al Nassr conceded twice from the spot thanks to Ighalo. Al-Ittihad now leads the league by three points despite having played one game less.