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.
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