Tikteknu: clip summarizing today's events in sports, 8.4/Sport1
Cristiano Ronaldo is again in the center of things in Saudi Arabia, and again in negative circumstances. The Portuguese star was sent off last night (Monday) after an unnecessary foul without the ball, and saw his Al Nasser lose 2:1 to Al Ittihad and be eliminated from the Saudi Super Cup at the semi-final stage, after a stormy evening.
Ronaldo was again very busy with the refereeing, receiving a yellow card at the end of the first half after long complaints following a disallowed goal for Al Nasser, and was sent off towards the end, trailing 2:0, after sending a slight elbow to an Al Ittihad player. The same player, the Saudi Ali Al-Bulaihi, is known as a serial provocateur and in the past even caused Leo Messi to lose his cool in the match between Argentina and Saudi Arabia in the 2022 World Cup. In the last meetings between Al Ittihad and Al Nasser, Al-Bulaihi tried to throw Ronaldo off balance as well, and this time he succeeded.
"Ronaldo is behaving in a strange way. How many more times will he fall into these stupid traps? Despite all his experience, he is unable to deal with the provocations of the Saudi players. It has cost him dearly in the past, and his behavior tonight was shameful," they wrote on the Arab "Gol" website.
lost it Ronaldo hits El Boulayhi/Reuters
Al Nasser's Cristiano Ronaldo hits Al Ittihad player Ali Al Boulayhi/Reuters
The serial provocateur in action
On the way down to the dressing room, after threatening to punch the match referee who sent him off, Ronaldo appeared upset and was recorded clapping his hands in protest, while turning to the crowd and appearing to say: "You are all witnesses to this robbery."
His coach Luis Castro tried to defend him at the end and said: "There was a very slight contact between Ronaldo and the opposing player, which made it look like a serious foul even though there was nothing. The VAR referees had to cancel the suspension." According to Castro, "Ronaldo suffers repeated bullying and provocations, and no one does anything to protect him."
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But on the other hand, Al Ittihad coach Jorge Jesus, Ronaldo's compatriot, scolded and criticized him. "Ronaldo is one of the greatest players in the world, he is a role model for many around the globe, but throughout his career he never got used to losing. When he loses, he loses his composure and mental focus. He gets angry, and it hurts him. To me, that is the biggest drawback His. Today he couldn't handle our brakes."
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Cristiano Ronaldo