Al Nassr were held to a 4-4 draw against Al Hazm in their latest Saudi Pro League fixture, on Thursday in Riyadh. In what is a setback for Al Nassr, they are now six points behind league leaders Al Hilal, who also have a game in hand.
Al Nassr were also without Cristiano Ronaldo, and the result could have been different if the former Manchester United was on the field.
Ronaldo was on the stands for the match, after receiving a one-match suspension for allegedly making an obscene gesture towards Al Shabab fans after Al Nassr’s 3-2 win on Sunday. The incident took place after the final whistle, when Ronaldo was seen cupping his ear, before repeatedly pumping his hand forward in front of his pelvic area, in response to ‘Messi’ chants.
But Al Nassr fans came to Ronaldo’s rescue on Thursday, and made sure that he knew about their support in a heartwarming gesture. In the seventh minute of the match, Al Nassr fans began to chant ‘Siu’, which is also used in Ronaldo’s trademark celebration.
In response, Ronaldo was visibly emotional and waved his hand in appreciation. Here is the video:
Talisca (31′) converted a penalty in the first-half to give Al Nassr a 1-0 lead, but Al Hazm equalised via Ahmad Al Mhemaid (53′) in the second-half. Then Talisca (61′) made it 2-1. Al Hazm once again equalised via Toze (66′), followed by Talisca (71′) giving Al Nassr the lead once again. Al Hazm again equalised, with Faiz Selemani (84′) scoring the goal. Sadio Mane (90+4′) gave Al Nassr a lead in injury time, but Paulo Ricardo made it 4-4 in the ninth minute of injury time.
Other than his suspension, the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee of the Saudi Football Federation have also ordered Ronaldo to pay a fine of 10,000 Saudi riyals to the Saudi Football Federation, and 20,000 riyals to Al Shabab, which will cover the costs of complaint filing fees. Also, the decision is not subject to appeal.
The alleged incident wasn’t captured by television, but has been criticised by former players and commentators. Meanwhile, Ronaldo told the committee that the gesture was one of victory in Europe and is common there.
