Breaking: Cristiano Ronaldo receives straight red card after elbowing Al-Hilal star, mocks referee as he walks off
During the Saudi Super Cup semifinal, Cristiano Ronaldo elbowed an Al-Hilal opponent, earning him a red card, which sent him off. This came following the legendary forward's frustration after a goal for Al-Nassr was disallowed.
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Otavio found the net, but the goal was disallowed as Ronaldo was deemed to be offside. He did not take it kindly, vehemently disagreeing with this decision and arguing with the referee, who showed him his first yellow card.
In the 86th minute, Ronaldo elbowed an Al-Hilal player out of rage on the touchline and received a straight red card for this. The forward looked as though he would punch the referee momentarily, as he raised his fist:
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As he eventually walked off the pitch, Cristiano Ronaldo was seen mocking the referee by asking the crowd to clap for the official.
Al-Nassr were reduced to 10 men and already behind 2-0. However, they did manage to rally for a very late consolation goal in the 98th minute, as Sadio Mane added to the scoresheet and the game ended 2-1. Al-Hilal have now advanced to the final, where they will take on Al-Ittihad.
As for Cristiano Ronaldo, it is uncertain what punishments he may face for his actions towards the referee, but a one-match ban is certainly underway, following the red card.
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About the author
Nnanna Mba
Nnanna is a European and international football journalist who has been covering news and transfer rumors at Sportskeeda for around 5 years. A keen interest in reading and football since an early age, watching games at local stadiums with family paved the way for him to take up the sport professionally.
Nnanna’s favorite club is English team Bolton Wanderers because he witnessed Nigeria legend Jay-Jay Okocha's play for them between 2002 and 2006. His favorite footballer is Ronaldinho due to the Brazilian's love for the sport and admires Pep Guardiola for redefining football tactics. As a former literature student, Nnanna reckons that the best way of connecting with the readers is to add a bit of empathy in his writing, and relies on trusted websites like Transfermarkt and WhoScored for his articles.
Lionel Messi lifting the World Cup trophy in 2022 is Nnanna’s favorite FIFA World Cup moment, and also follows Major League Soccer due to the diminutive Argentine. He strongly believes that Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland could be the next two superstars in the same light as legendary pair Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
When not writing, he likes to play Football Manager and other simulation games.