Cristiano Ronaldo’s team suffered a setback in the Saudi Pro League when their goal was disallowed by VAR, prompting a controversial reaction from their manager. Al-Nassr, led by Ronaldo, faced league leaders Al-Hilal in a high-stakes match that ended 3-0 in favor of Al-Hilal despite playing with ten men.

The match’s contentious moment arose in the first half when Ronaldo believed he had scored, only to discover he was offside. In a heated response, Al-Nassr boss Luis Castro angrily confronted an official, thrusting his phone in their face to show a replay in an attempt to dispute the decision.

Although technology indicated Ronaldo was marginally offside, Castro strongly insisted that their goal should have stood. However, the video or picture on his phone failed to support his argument.

Following this incident, both Ronaldo and Castro faced ridicule on social media for their actions during the match. Mockery ensued, with one user suggesting using the coach’s mobile phone instead of VAR and others humorously commenting on the modern approach to challenging referee decisions.

Criticism also emerged, with some calling for fines and bans against Castro for breaching football regulations. Despite the controversy, Al-Hilal dominated the second half, with goals from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Aleksandar Mitrovic securing a decisive 3-0 victory.

The outcome widened the gap between Ronaldo’s team and Al-Hilal, leaving the former Real Madrid star’s side trailing by seven points in the league standings.

Al Nassr coach Luis Castro shows the ref Ronaldo’s goal from his phone to prove it was wrongly ruled out. 😂 pic.twitter.com/Juj8UJpNkH

— TCR. (@TeamCRonaldo) December 1, 2023

Cristiano Ronaldo

This season he played in total 14 times for 1256 minutes for Pro League.

Cristiano Ronaldo  scored 14 goals for Al Nassr. He procured 7 assists. He received no yellow cards and no red cards.

His team is currently 2nd in Pro League. In the last match Al Nassr lost 3-0 against Al Hilal. The next match in Pro League will be against Al Riyadh.

Al Nassr performance and stats

Al Nassr is currently 2nd in the Pro League with 34 points.

In the last 15 games, it has won 11 times, drawn once, and lost 3 times. In its last match, Al Nassr lost 3-0 against Al Hilal.​​

It has a positive goal difference after scoring 39 goals and conceding 18.​

Al Nassr will play the next match in Pro League against Al Riyadh on Thursday 7th of December in Riyadh.​