Staff Reporter.
Cristiano Ronaldo is known for his goalscoring exploits but on Monday night the Al-Nassr forward convinced the referee not to award him a penalty.
The 38-year-old went down in the second minute after a challenge in his side’s Asian Champions League 0-0 draw with Iranian side Persepolis.
But when Chinese referee Ma Ning awarded a penalty, Ronaldo argued the case for the decision to be overturned.
Ning was sent to the pitchside monitor and ultimately changed his call.
A combination of the video assistant referee and Ronaldo’s honesty came to Persepolis’ rescue. The match went on to finish goalless, with Al Nassr’s Ali Lajami sent off in the 17th minute.
Despite dropping points against Persepolis, Al-Nassr remain top of their group after winning four of their five games so far and have already qualified for the knockouts. They also currently sit second in the Saudi Pro League, just four points behind league leaders Al-Hilal.
Ronaldo is the league’s top scorer with 15 goals in 13 games, with ex-Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic the only other player to have hit double figures with 11 goals in 12 appearances for Al-Hilal.
Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr at the start of the year after his contract with Manchester United was terminated following an explosive interview with Piers Morgan, where he said he felt “betrayed” by the club.