An angry Cristiano Ronaldo lashed out as he stormed off the pitch after suffering his first defeat with Al Nassr on Thursday.
Ronaldo's side were handed a 1-0 home loss by fellow Saudi Pro League title challengers Al Ittihad this week, with a Romarinho strike in the 80th minute being enough to separate the two sides.
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With Ittihad overtaking Al Nassr at the top of the table as a result, the defeat clearly infuriated the Portuguese superstar as his club had not lost any of their past five games since he made his long-anticipated official debut on 3 February.
At the final whistle, a visibly furious Ronaldo, who has now failed to score in two games for his team, made a move to throw his captain's armband to the ground before going to the team's fans to thank them for their support.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was then seen storming off the pitch in anger, despite his teammates trying to calm him down, before lashing out by kicking a couple of water bottles as he approached the tunnel at the King Abdullah Sports City stadium.
Here is the incident:
#VIDEO: Angry @Cristiano Ronaldo storms off field after defeat against Al-Ittihad sees @AlNassrFC_EN lose top spot in #Saudi Pro League (@SPL) pic.twitter.com/o8wcx7L4bX
— Saudi Gazette (@Saudi_Gazette) March 9, 2023
@Cristiano Cristiano Ronaldo angry after 2nd defeat by Ittihad the oldest team in Saudi#.#?????????_??????? ???? ??? ??????? ??????? ?? #??????? @ittihad #????_????_??????? #???????? #????? pic.twitter.com/unpPf0owbK
— Mohammed Shamsan (@mashamsan) March 9, 2023
Al Nassr are now one point off the top spot now occupied by Ittihad, but manager Rudi Garcia tried to focus on the positives after being leapfrogged by their opponents.
"We are disappointed because we did not deserve to lose," he said, according to Peoples Gazette.
"Al Ittihad scored a goal the way they like, on the counter-attack.
"The league is still long. We are now behind Al Ittihad by a point.
"I am happy with my team. We played in a difficult stadium in front of a strong audience, and yet we played with a wonderful personality."
Ronaldo, meanwhile, provided a calmer reaction later in the evening following his on-field outburst, writing on Instagram: "Disappointed with the result, but we stay focused on our season and the games ahead.
"Thank you Al Nassr fans for your support, we know we can count on you!"
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