Al-Nasr failed to advance to the final after losing 1-2 to Al-Hilal in the semifinals of the "2024 Saudi Super Cup" at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on the 9th. It was painful that Ronaldo was sent off in the middle of the second half and failed to overcome his numerical inferiority. On the other hand, Al-Hilal continued his world record of "most consecutive wins" with 33 consecutive wins.
The Saudi Super Cup is a competition between the Saudi King Cup (FA Cup) and the Saudi Pro League, where four winning and runner-up teams compete. Al Nasr participated in the tournament as the runner-up of the Saudi Pro League in the 2023-2024 season, and Al Hilal as the winner of the Saudi King Cup.
In the other semifinals held earlier, al - itihad defeated al - wehda 2-1. This will result in the final match between al - itihad and al - Hilal.
Al-Nasr seemed to score the first goal, shaking the net during extra time in the first half. Otavio rushed a cross from the right side and pushed it with his left foot. Otavio even celebrated his diving goal, but the VAR ruled that Ronaldo actively attempted to shoot towards the ball from the offside position before the shot was canceled.
It was a pity that the score could have been recognized if Ronaldo had not taken the shooting motion. Ronaldo approached the referee as soon as the whistle was raised at the end of the first half and protested fiercely, and the referee instructed him to bite. Ronaldo continued to shake his fingers as he left the ground and expressed dissatisfaction with the decision.
Salem Aldosari scored the first goal in the 16th minute of the second half. After penetrating the back of the defense, Salem shook the net with a right footed shot towards the corner of the net. Salem was delighted by the tumbling ceremony.
He then allowed Malcolm to score an additional goal with his header at the 27th minute of the second half, which made the score 2-0. Malcolm hit a cross from the right side exactly on the forehead to break into the net.
Ronaldo caused an accident. In the 40th minute of the second half, Ronaldo ran to catch the ball that was out near the center line touchline. In the process, Ronaldo got into a physical fight with Ali al-Bulaihi and hit him in the chest with his elbow. When the referee pulled out a red card, Ronaldo also made a gesture of raising his fist against the referee.
Sadio Mane scored in second-half stoppage time for al - Nasr, but there was not enough time to tie the score. Eventually the match ended in a 2-1 win for al - Hilal.
Al-Nasr, who recruited Ronaldo, is far from winning the title except for the Arab Club Champions Cup, which took place at the beginning of this season. The league also ranked second, lagging far behind Al Hilal by a point, while the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League was also eliminated.
Ronaldo has faced the disgrace of being kicked out for the first time since joining the Saudi League in December 2022. Football statistics magazine Foot Mob gave Ronaldo a 5.9 rating, the lowest among all players of both teams. It is rare for Ronaldo to get a 5-point rating.
Foreign media took issue with Ronaldo's exit and threatening action against the referee. Spain's "Marca" reported that "Ronaldo was in trouble after threatening to hit the referee." The media explained, "Ronaldo received a red card for his violent behavior in the Saudi Super Cup. Real Madrid Legend had an outburst of anger, elbowing and stepping on the opponent, and then scuffling on the pitch."
Ronaldo has been causing a stir recently for his violent behavior. He also cursed at the referee in an exhibition match between Portugal and Slovenia on April 27. "An angry Ronaldo confronted the referee with ugly gestures," global media "Essential Sports" reported on April 27. "The part where CR7 (Ronaldo) was even angrier than his performance was the referee's decision. After the match, Ronaldo was walking out of the stadium and shouted "F***k you, there were two penalty kicks" to the referee while raising two fingers," he said.
"Portugal can win Euro 2024, but only when Ronaldo did not play. Ronaldo's time in the Portugal national team is over," French soccer legend Franck LeBeouf said in a cool-headed assessment.
Ronaldo was deployed to the front line on the day and played with João Félix and Otavio in the strikers. Bruno Fernandes, Gonzalo Hamus and Rafael Leão did not participate in the event.
Earlier in the day, Ronaldo garnered 10 goals and two assists while Portugal won all eight matches in the Euro 2024 qualifying round. However, not only was the team not properly distributed to the ball in the midfield, but also displayed lack of sharp movement.
Ronaldo played full-time and only hit one shot. He also dribbled in the fourth but managed only one shot. His presence was so small that he recorded the fewest blush touches (45 times) among the players of the two teams that played full-time on the day. Football statistics outlet Foot Mob gave Ronaldo a 6.7, the lowest rating.
It is not the first time that Ronaldo has ignored referees in Saudi Arabia. Sports Illustrated said in a match against Al Thi Park in November last year, "While Al-Nasr won, Ronaldo asked to replace the referee. Ronaldo was furious with the referee."
Ronaldo was particularly nervous on the day. He was warned after strongly protesting against the referee from the 12th minute of the first half, and went too far in the extra time of the first half. Al-Nasr appeared to score the first goal, but the referee canceled the goal for Ronaldo's involvement in the goal from an offside position.
Although Ronaldo did not touch the ball, Al-Nasr striker Taliska made a goal and fell while competing with his opponent. The referee determined that Ronaldo was involved in the scoring process for the move. Ronaldo strongly protested that his opponent pulled him over and fell. However, when his claim was not accepted, he turned his fingers around in discontent. It meant that the referee should be replaced because he was not qualified.
Of course, the referee could not have been replaced despite Ronaldo's gesture. "Ronaldo's actions spread through social media. It was once again on the lips of many people," said England's Bissaker.
Ronaldo moved to Al Nasr late last year and started a new career in soccer. Ronaldo is known to earn around 200 million euros a year. Since Ronaldo went to Saudi Arabia last winter, a number of superstars have moved to Saudi Arabia this summer. Star players who played in Europe chose to go to Saudi Arabia without hesitation due to the huge oil money. Former English Premier League scoring champion and African hero Sadio Mane moved to Al Nasar and became Ronaldo's teammate.
In addition, Al Hilal recruited Neymar, Juven Neves who played for Wolverhampton in the English Premier League (EPL), Sergei Milinkovic-Savic who played for Serie A Lazio, Kalidou Koulibaly from Chelsea, and Malcolm from Zenit. Al-Itihad, who recently attempted to recruit Mohamed Salah, brought in Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema from Real Madrid, and succeeded in recruiting EPL's best defensive midfielder N'Golo Kante and former Liverpool midfielder Fabinho.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who retired last year, also expressed his belief in the Saudi transfer craze, including Ronaldo. In a recent interview with British journalist and TV host Piers Morgan, Zlatan expressed his thoughts on the recent phenomenon of a large number of players who played in famous European leagues moving to Saudi Arabian leagues.
Zlatan said, "I was offered a transfer from China, and so was Saudi Arabia. But let's think about it. What do you want and what goals do you have?" Certain players need to complete their careers on the big stage. This is because that moment is the pinnacle of their careers. "We should be remembered not for how much money we make, but for what we are recognized for. What do we train for and what are we recognized for? It is talent. This is where we should not forget." 토토사이트
Zlatan said, "I think players who have reached a certain level should complete their careers at a certain stage. I'm talking about the big stage. We shouldn't go to a lower stage and end our careers in a different way." "But some players didn't make enough money, so they needed opportunities to make a lot of money," Zlatan said.
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