Cristiano Ronaldo couldn’t escape Lionel Messi as Al-Ettifaq fans chanted the name of the newly crowned Ballon d’Or winner during their clash with Al-Nassr. The Portuguese forward used the chants as added fuel for his performance against Steven Gerrard’s side.
Al-Nassr faced Al-Ettifaq in the round of 16 of the King Cup of Champions. The match had many noteworthy moments on the field, which included a red card for Anderson Talisca and a disallowed goal for Ronaldo. However, the fans of Al-Ettifaq took the spotlight when they started chanting the name of Lionel Messi to rattle the focus of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The incident was captured from the stands as Ronaldo came on the touchline to take a thrown-in. The chants began to rise throughout the stadium, which prompted Ronaldo to respond. He threw the ball away and moved away from the touchline while smiling at the incident.
As he was walking away from the touchline, he looked at the crowd and signaled the ‘Sshh’ sign to silence the crowd, followed by the ‘calma’ sign to order them to quiet down. The gestures turned the heat up and the fans riled up to make more noise in support of their team.
š„ | Al-Ittifaq club fans changing āMessi, Messi, Messiā and Cristiano Ronaldo gets upset ššššThat name is a menace to him pic.twitter.com/5Gsjp3GSrh
ā PSG Chief (@psg_chief) October 31, 2023
As the match progressed toward the final minute of normal time, Ali Hazazi of Al-Ettifaq also received a red card to balance the numbers for Al-Nassr. The match went on to extra time and Sadio ManƩ scored the winner in the 107th minute of the game.
Ronaldo had the last laugh as he led his team to perfection in the dying minutes of the game. The effort and determination were praised by commentators and Marcelo Brozovic after the game as Al-Nassr eliminated Al-Ettifaq from the competition.
Cristiano Ronaldo responds back to Al-Ettifaq fans after the match
Ronaldo clapped back at the Al-Ettifaq fans after he helped his side eliminate the Dammam-based side. The Portuguese forward gestured the ‘finished’ sign by pointing his finger across his throat as he looked towards the home crowd.
Ronaldo was impressive throughout the game even without being on the scoresheet. He played the full 120 minutes, where he took five shots and created two chances. He was instrumental in the defense too. At the back, he had four clearances, one interception, and four defensive actions. He won five duels to complete an all-round performance against a tough opponent.
š„ | Al-Ittifaq club fans changing āMessi, Messi, Messiā and Cristiano Ronaldo gets upset ššššThat name is a menace to him pic.twitter.com/5Gsjp3GSrh
ā PSG Chief (@psg_chief) October 31, 2023
Ronaldo’s absence was evident when these sides last met in the Saudi Pro League in August. On that day, Al-Ettifaq came out on top with a 2-1 scoreline at the Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium. Sadio ManĆ© lifted the side by playing as the lone striker for Al-Nassr in the absence of Ronaldo, however, came short of making the difference.
This win can prove monumental for Al-Nassr as they stand a strong chance of lifting another title by entering as one of the stronger sides in the last eight of the competition. The fixtures for the Quarterfinals of the King Cup of Champions are yet to be announced. Al-Hilal, Al-Taawoun, and Al-Ittihad can be touted as the remaining tests for the Riyadh-based side.