"Worst player in the team", "Sell him" - Fans slam Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr teammate as he gets sent off against Al-Riyadh

Al-Nassr fans on social media have criticized Aymeric Laporte for his dismissal in Cristiano Ronaldo and Co.'s Saudi Pro League (SPL) match against Al-Riyadh. Laporte was sent off on Thursday, May 23, for violent conduct after VAR overturned the initial on-field decision to give him a yellow card.

The incident occurred shortly after the hour mark. As Laporte and an Al-Riyadh player tussled for the ball, the centre-back hit the latter's hand, prompting a whistle from the referee. You can view a video of the foul below (via @xFootballWorld_ on X).

Laporte was sent off in the 63rd minute after a VAR check with Al-Nassr trailing 2-1. This was notably his second red card of the season after he was sent off in the first leg of his side's AFC Champions League quarterfinal tie against Al-Ain in March. In his absence in the second leg, they went onto lose the tie on penalties.

As a result, Laporte has been slammed by fans of the club on X, with one of them questioning:

"Worst player in the team, how did this guy play in Manchester City lol?"

Another tweeted:

"Sell him this aint the first time"

A third fan wrote:

"Before I check who that red card is, I know in my heart that it’s Laporte 💀"

Here are a few more reactions from fans:

To their credit, though, Al-Nassr equalized in the seventh minute of stoppage time through substitute Meshari Fahad Al-Nemer to rescue a point.

Earlier in the game, Otavio gave them a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute. However, Andre Gray equalized for Al-Riyadh 11 minutes later before they took the lead in first-half stoppage time through Mohammed Al Aqal.

The result meant Al-Nassr remained second in the league with 79 points from 33 matches, 14 adrift of champions Al-Hilal.

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How did Aymeric Laporte perform for Al-Nassr prior to being sent off vs Al-Riyadh?

Aymeric Laporte enjoyed a decent outing on Thursday prior to his dismissal on Thursday.

The former Manchester City defender completed 47 of his 51 passes (92% accuracy), including five of seven long balls. He also won two duels, made two clearances and recorded an interception.

His red card, however, left his team in a difficult position and will see him miss their final game of the season - a Saudi Pro League encounter against Al-Ittihad. Overall, Laporte has played 39 times for Al-Nassr this season, scoring four goals and laying out an assist.