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Cristiano Ronaldo for Al Nassr (Credit: X)
Ronaldo’s return to footballing action was not a happy one, as Al Nassr slumped to a hot-headed 1-0 defeat against UAE’s Al Ain in the first leg of their AFC Champions League quarterfinal.
Cristiano Ronaldo may swear that he doesn’t love the drama, and it’s just that it loves him. But, one way or the other, the Portuguese superstar recently seems to have been making the headlines for not the best of reasons, as he got involved in yet another taunting display with fans last night.
Ronaldo’s return to footballing action was not a happy one, as Al Nassr slumped to a hot-headed 1-0 defeat against UAE’s Al Ain in the first leg of their AFC Champions League quarterfinal.
Al Ain took the lead, courtesy of Soufiane Rahimi, who netted the only goal of the match, and his sixth goal in the tournament this season, in the 44th minute, right at the brink of halftime.
Ronaldo, on the other hand, had a disappointing outing to say the least, as the Portuguese struggled to capitalise on all of the chances he was provided, especially one from point-blank range which he could not slot into the back of the net.
The win for the UAE side not only offered them the advantage going into the second leg, but also signified the end of Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr’s eight-match winning streak.
After the match, a heated crowd started taunting the now-defeated Portuguese with chants of ‘Messi, Messi’ reveberating through the arena, to which Ronaldo, who was walking back into the tunnel, signaled to the crowd that he shall see them back in Riyadh for the second leg.
The Saudi side will be happy that Ronaldo bit his tongue and kept his calm, as yet another suspension is exactly what they do not need at the moment again.
Last week, Ronaldo was banned for one game for making allegedly obscene gestures towards Al Shadab fans after Al Nassr’s 3-2 win.
After the game had concluded, the Al Shadab crowd roared with chants of “Messi, Messi” at Ronaldo, to which the Portuguese cupped his ear and went on to make the gesture of continually pumping his hand in front of his pelvic area towards the opposition fans.
That was not the first time Ronaldo has garnered criticism for his celebrations. In April of last year, a similar incident transpired when the Portuguese forward appeared to grab his genitals whilst walking towards the dugout after a Saudi Pro League encounter against Al Hilal, which Al Nassr lost 2-0.
Earlier this month, he picked up an Al Hilal scarf thrown at him from the stands, put it in his shorts and then threw it away as he walked towards the tunnel after Al Nassr lost 2-0 in the Riyadh Season Cup final.
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