Despite having the ball in the position of facing the goalkeeper in the penalty area, Cristiano Ronaldo’s cumbersome handling of the ball cost the Al Nassr home team.
Ronaldo was injured when his side Al Nassr lost to Steven Gerrard’s Al Ettifaq 1-3 in the opening match of the Saudi Pro League last week.
However, the Portuguese star still managed to return in the second match against rival Al Taawoun, which took place at dawn on August 19 (Vietnam time). In addition to Ronaldo, Al Nassr also launched many bright rookies this summer, including Sadio Mane, Marcelo Brozovic, Anderson Talisca and Seko Fofana.
But the home team unexpectedly let Al Taawoun open the scoring before Cameroon striker Leandre Tawamba finished with a dangerous head after a corner kick in the 20th minute.
And when Ronaldo had a golden opportunity to score his team’s equalizer after halftime, he handled the ball awkwardly and became the laughing stock of the fans watching the game.
Ronaldo alone with a ball in the position of facing the goalkeeper (Photo: The Sun).
Instead of finishing, Ronaldo tried to go on the ball and was backed by the visitors’ defender to break the ball at his feet (Photo: The Sun).
In the 63rd minute, from the slit in the middle of the field of his teammates, Ronaldo escaped to receive the ball and in a one-on-one position with the goalkeeper, the 38-year-old striker instead of finishing tried to lead the ball past the goal of the goalkeeper. Taawoun’s side and was promptly retreated by the visitors’ defenders to break the ball right in the foot.
Many fans criticized Ronaldo’s handling, causing the home team to miss the opportunity to score 1-1. “Really sad to see him handling the ball so confusingly,” one fan shared on twitter. “Honestly, it was a very sad tackle,” another added.
After this situation of missing this delicious opportunity, Ronaldo then unfortunately hit the post and Al Nassr paid the price for the mistake when Ahmed Bahusayn sealed the victory for Taawoun in injury time, closed Al Nassr’s final 0-2 loss in the Saudi Pro League.
Al Nassr finished second in the Saudi Pro League last season and now faces the difficult task of winning the title this year.
