Ronaldo shouted and demanded to change the referee.

Saudi Arabia 38-year-old striker Cristiano Ronaldo received a yellow card for reacting to the referee, as Al Nassr beat Al Ettifaq 1-0 to enter the King Cup quarter-finals.

Scorer: Mane 107

In the 12th minute, Ronaldo was tripped by his opponent outside the Al Ettifaq penalty area, but Chilean referee Piero Maza did not blow the whistle and waved his hand to ask the Al Nassr captain to stand up. Ronaldo quickly ran after him, then pointed at the referee's face and shouted loudly. The referee raised his hand to signal Ronaldo to calm down, but he walked away and kept saying something. Because the player did not listen, Mr. Maza decided to give CR7 a yellow card. The Portuguese superstar nodded in dissatisfaction, while the home crowd shouted in support of the captain.

Moments later, Ronaldo walked to the touchline and then towards the home team's technical area, shouting: "Always against me. They are always against me. It's ridiculous."

Ronaldo turned his arms, implying that he wanted to change the referee, when Al Nassr hosted Al Ettifaq at Al Awal Stadium, Riyad City, Saudi Arabia in the 1/8 round of the King Cup of Champions on the evening of October 31, 2023. Photo: screenshot

Referee Maza continued to make controversial decisions for the home team . In the first half's injury time, defender Alex Telles crossed the ball from the left for striker Anderson Talisca to rush in and score from close range. The referee initially allowed the goal, but VAR intervened to review the situation, before calling Ronaldo offside. Ronaldo did not touch the ball, but was deemed to have interfered with the situation.

Ronaldo asked the referee to explain, and he said he was offside by a few centimeters. The 38-year-old superstar responded that he was hugged from behind by defender Jack Hendry and there was nothing he could do. However, referee Maza still canceled Talisca's goal. Ronaldo turned to the technical area, then signaled for a substitution and pointed at Mr. Maza, indicating to change the referee.

A few minutes later, Talisca punched defender Hamdan Al-Shamrani in the face in a dirty play, earning a yellow card from Maza. VAR intervened again, forcing the Chilean referee to review the incident and issue a red card, sending the Brazilian striker off. Seeing the incident, Ronaldo said sarcastically: "Of course. Of course."

Referee Maza was invited to Saudi Arabia to officiate at the King's Cup, and he is known for being strict. In the last 10 matches he has officiated in South America, he has shown seven red cards. In the 89th minute, midfielder Ali Hazazi fouled Otavio to prevent a counterattack, when there were still three players defending the away team. However, Mr. Maza still showed Hazazi a straight red card despite the away team's strong protests.

Ronaldo did not have many chances in the two regular periods, except for a free kick that hit the wall, and a tap-in in the penalty area that hit centre-back Hendry's leg. With Al Nassr playing with one less man for most of the second half, the 38-year-old striker had to drop deeper to help defend from a distance. In the first period of extra time, he had a chance to tap in from close range but lost his footing, causing the ball to fly wide. In the final 15 minutes, Ronaldo fired a powerful shot towards goal from more than 15 metres away, but this time goalkeeper Paulo Victor dived to push the ball away.

Mane (right) shined with the only goal of the match. Photo: ANFC

Al Ettifaq are ranked 486th in the world , according to the Opta power index, behind Southeast Asian clubs like Johor Darul Tazim (Malaysia). Coach Steven Gerrard leads this team, and recruited former Liverpool stars like Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum. However, Gerrard's army did not create any dangerous opportunities when playing with one more man.

Al Nassr regained control after Hazazi was sent off, only to score the decisive goal in extra time. In the 107th minute, substitute Ayman Yahya crossed from the left, which the visiting defender failed to clear. Mane rushed in and tapped the ball in with his left foot from about 5 meters out, scoring the only goal of the match.

The King's Cup is a tournament for 32 professional teams in Saudi Arabia, including 18 Pro League teams and 14 second-tier teams. The tournament is a knockout tournament, with a format similar to the English League Cup. In the round of 16, Al Nassr beat second-tier Ohod 5-1 without Ronaldo playing.

This time Ronaldo played the full 120 minutes but could not score against Al Ettifaq. At one point the stands could be heard shouting "Messi, Messi" - the player who had just won his eighth Ballon d'Or. In response, Ronaldo put his finger to his lips, signaling the audience to be quiet.

Hoang An

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