Cristiano Ronaldo on Monday convinced the referee to change his mind after awarding him a penalty in Al-Nassr’s AFC Champions League 0-0 draw with Iran’s Persepolis.
The 38-year-old former Manchester United and Real Madrid great appeared to have been brought down by Soroush Rafiei inside the box and Chinese referee Ma Ning pointed to the spot.
Ronaldo leapt to his feet and approached the referee, wagging his finger, shaking his head and telling him there had been no foul.
Photo: AFP
After a video assistant referee review, the official was sent to the pitch-side monitor and reversed his decision in the Group E clash in Riyadh.
The Saudi Pro League side had to play most of the match with 10 men after Ali Lajami was given a straight red card for a shin-raking challenge in the 17th minute.
They also lost Ronaldo to a neck injury with 13 minutes remaining, caused by Persepolis goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand landing on the Portuguese star when claiming a high ball.
However, the 2018 and 2020 Champions League runners-up from Iran were unable to capitalize, the point proving enough for Al-Nassr to seal their place in the knockout stages as group winners.
Ronaldo has little time to recover with Al-Nassr facing Al-Hilal on Friday in a top-of-the-table league clash.
In the group’s other match, Al-Duhail got their first win this campaign with a 2-0 victory at home to Tajikistan side Istiklol.
In Group C, Saudi Arabian champions Al-Ittihad bounced back from defeat in round four with a 2-1 win at Uzbekistan’s AGMK.
The win means two-time winners Al-Ittihad, who had new manager Marcelo Gallardo making his Asian Champions League debut, remain top of the standings heading into next week’s tie at home with second-placed Sepahan SC.
The Iranians defeated Iraqi opponents Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 1-0 at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran — despite having two men sent off — to move two points behind Al-Ittihad.
In Group B, Uzbekistan’s Nasaf Qarshi moved to the top of the table with a 3-1 win at home to Jordan’s Al-Faisaly, and Qatari side Al-Sadd defeated Sharjah 2-0 in the United Arab Emirates.
Manchester City have reached do-or-die territory in the UEFA Champions League earlier than expected ahead of what Pep Guardiola has described as a “final” against Club Brugge today. City have disproved the suggestion a new format to Europe’s top club competition would remove any jeopardy for the top clubs as Guardiola stares down the barrel of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in his career. The English champions have endured a torrid season both in their English Premier League title defense and on the continent. A run of one win in 13 games, which included Champions League
Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday poured in 35 points as the Thunder grabbed a bounce-back 118-108 victory in Portland to push their NBA-best record to 37-8. The Thunder, surprised by the short-handed Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, fended off a late surge from the Trail Blazers to snap their four-game winning streak. Jalen Williams scored 24 points and Isaiah Joe added 16 off the bench. Center Isaiah Hartenstein, back after a five-game absence with a calf injury, added 14 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a big block. The Western Conference leaders were under pressure late as Portland, trailing by 15 heading
The Golden State Warriors on Wednesday withstood Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 52-point outburst to beat the Western Conference leading Thunder 116-109. Andrew Wiggins scored 27 points and Warriors superstar Stephen Curry scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half as Golden State erased a double-digit deficit and pulled away late for the victory. “We just stayed solid,” said Curry, who entered the contest mired in a shooting slump and had just four points on one basket in the first half. “Just all-around effort.” The Thunder, fueled by 31 first-half points from Gilgeous-Alexander, led by as many as 14 in the
Ousmane Dembele on Wednesday scored a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain romped to a 4-1 win at VfB Stuttgart and qualified for the UEFA Champions League knockout stages. PSG were at risk of elimination after a disappointing league stage, with three losses and a draw, but were utterly dominant against an outclassed Stuttgart side as they confirmed their place in the playoffs. With six minutes gone, Bradley Barcola headed PSG in front after Desire Doue stood a cross up at the back post following a corner. Stuttgart probed for an equalizer, but PSG hit on the counterattack, Dembele tapping a Barcola pass into an
RSS