Saudi Arabia Cristiano Ronaldo asked VAR to intervene, after the referee awarded Al Nassr a penalty after he fell in the Persepolis penalty area in the AFC Champions League.
In the second minute of the Group E match on November 27, Ronaldo argued with Rafiei in the penalty area and fell down. The referee immediately awarded Al Nassr a penalty, despite protests from the Persepolis players. Ronaldo surprised everyone when he ran up, shook his finger, repeatedly said "Not a penalty" and asked the referee to reverse the decision.
Ronaldo (number 7) repeatedly shook his finger to signal the referee not to award a penalty, during the match against Persepolis in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on November 27. Photo: Vanguard
The away team's defenders also told the referee about Ronaldo's opinion and praised the Portuguese superstar. After consulting VAR, the referee decided to cancel Al Nassr's penalty, as Ronaldo wanted. Rafiei actually took the initiative to pull his leg back during the dispute with the Al Nassr striker.
Ronaldo's fair-play act caused a stir on social media. On X , many fans reinforced their belief that the 38-year-old superstar is the greatest player ever. "If it were Lionel Messi in Qatar, that would definitely not happen. That's why Ronaldo is the best player in history," Chava wrote.
Madridfooty also mentioned Messi: "Messi took five imaginary penalties at the World Cup", while Abdul Raymann said Ronaldo's actions were "the choice of the GOAT - the greatest player". Another account said Ronaldo would not be honest about the penalty, if it was a Champions League final.
The collision between Ronaldo (yellow) and Rafiei in the penalty area in the second minute. Photo: Vanguard
In fact, Ronaldo's decision to refuse a penalty cost Al Nassr a tough match against Persepolis. Unable to take the lead, the home team lost a man in the 17th minute when Ali Lajami was sent off. Al Nassr only had six shots in the entire match compared to 12 for their opponents. The home team only had one shot on target, while Persepolis had four.
Thanks to the brilliance of goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi, Al Nassr drew 0-0 with the Iranian representative. Ronaldo and his teammates are sure to advance as they top Group E with one match left to play with 13 points, five points more than Persepolis.
Vy Anh
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