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Controversy Erupts After VAR Mistakes Cristiano Ronaldo For Rival Player as Al Nassr Star Fails to End Rare Drought vs Al-Ettifaq

Published 10/31/2023, 1:46 PM EDT

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via Reuters

Saudi’s Al Nassr has been in good form for the last few weeks. The team brought Cristiano Ronaldo, which changed the sport in the country. And the Al Nassr star was in action today against Al Ettifaq. Despite the game initially causing jitters for Ronaldo and Al Nassr due to the VAR, Sadio Mane pulled it out for Al Nassr in the King Cup of Champions Round of 16. 

After a series of undefeated games, Al Nassr went into today’s fixture as the favorites. Cristiano battled against his former Premier League adversary, Steven Gerrard’s side, in a gritty affair. However, there were its fair share of controversial moments.

VAR decision could have cost Al Nassr

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The match was evenly poised till the end, with both teams having an equal number of attempts at the goal. But things would have been different when Brazilian striker Anderson Talisca hit the net in the 45th minute. But to the player’s misery, the VAR dismissed the shot after checking for an offside. His Brazilian teammate, Alex Telles, provided the cross deep into the penalty box to the lurking forward.

However, Ronaldo’s presence in the box confused the referee, who misunderstood an Al Ettifaq player.

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The following event led to a colossal blow for Al Nassr as they sent Talisca off with a red card for taking an opponent defender off. But the 10-sided Al Nassr came out victorious after the final whistle after Sadio Mane scored in the 117th minute. On the other hand, Ronaldo missed an opportunity to end his drought, and it keeps growing. 

“Happy to Have You Legends” – Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr Welcomes Ronaldo Nazario and Luis Figo With a Rare Gesture

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Cristiano Ronaldo is still looking for a rare breakthrough!

The Portuguese player hadn’t managed to break his jinx against Al Ettifaq yet. The player has not scored even a single goal against a former rival’s team. Ronaldo, however, had his share of chances but could not convert them.

The superstar recently claimed that he doesn’t care about records. The all-time highest goalscorer has more than 860 career goals and scored two match-winning ones against Al Duhail in the AFC Champions League. After the match, Ronaldo stated, “Actually, I don’t care much about the records. I enjoy my time with Al Nassr.” 

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Ronaldo will now try to focus on the upcoming games in a packed schedule. Al Nassr will play Al Duhail again in their second leg of the group stage.

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Written by:

Ruthu

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Ruthu is a soccer writer at EssentiallySports. His passion for the most beloved game was ignited by the remarkable 2002 World Cup-winning Brazil team. Watching the Premier League where Thierry Henry-starred ‘Invincible’ Gunners and Sir Alex Ferguson’s glorious Manchester United had ruled, he had his heart set on Arsenal.
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Edited by:

Jacob Gijy