Cristiano Ronaldo and his Saudi team Al Nassr managed to get into the Champions Cup semi-finals after a 3-1 victory over Abha. The Portuguese also got his first yellow card since joining the Saudi team.
The game against Abha was the quarter-final of the King Cup of Champions, which is the main domestic cup competition of Saudi Arabia. The game started well for Ronaldo’s team when midfielder Sami Al Naji scored in just the first minute. 20 minutes later, the lead was extended when Abdullah Al Khaibari scored the team’s second goal.
The game was sealed when Mohammed Maran scored the third goal of Al Nassr in the 49th minute. Ahba managed to pull one back after their striker Abdulfattah Adam Ahmad Mohammed scored in the 69th minute. The game ended 3-1, with Al Nassr advancing to the next stage of the cup competition. Ronaldo failed to have any goal contributions and was also substituted in the 87th minute.
Why did Cristiano Ronaldo receive his first yellow card?
It was also Cristiano Ronaldo’s first game in the country where he got a yellow card. In the remaining seconds of the first half, while Ronaldo was on a counterattack after an opposition corner, the referee blew his whistle for halftime. Ronaldo being the never giving up superstar, got angry at the referee’s decision.
In anger, Ronaldo took the ball and kicked it high into the sky. The referee quickly booked him earning Ronaldo his first yellow card. Ronaldo continued complaining though the referee didn’t take any more action.
Cristiano Ronaldo received a yellow card after kicking the ball away for Al-Nassr 😬 pic.twitter.com/8x09SsKPHC
— GOAL (@goal) March 14, 2023
What next for Ronaldo and Al Nassr?
They will next face Al Wehda in the semis, against whom Cristiano Ronaldo had scored a poker earlier. Al Wehda defeated Al Batin 2-1 to get into the semi-finals. In the other semi-final fixture, Al Ittihad will face the winner of the quarter-final fixture between Al Hilal and Al Fateh.
Al Nassr is currently second in the Saudi Pro League behind league leaders Al Ittihad by one point. They were defeated by their tough rivals 1-0 last Thursday, with Ronaldo unable to get any scoring chances. Al Ittihad also previously knocked out Al Nassr in the Saudi Super Cup semi-final, which was also the first game Cristiano Ronaldo played after arriving in the country.
Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al Nassr in January after leaving Manchester United in November. He was offered a contract that made him the world’s best-paid player. Cristiano had a dream start to life and scored eight goals, including two hat tricks in the Saudi Pro League. He even won the player of the Month award for February for his eight goals and two assists.
Ronaldo and Al Nassr will again face Abha in the Saudi Pro League when they host them on Saturday.
