In the opening exchanges of the AFC Champions League 2023-24 game, Al-Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo went down in the box and the referee pointed to the penalty spot, but Ronaldo stood alongside Persepolis players in disputing the penalty
Portuguese football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo exhibited remarkable candour to reject a penalty that he was awarded while captaining Al-Nassr in an Asian Champions League 2023-24 match against Persepolis in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Monday, November 27. (Football News)
In the opening exchanges of the game, Ronaldo went down in the box and the referee pointed to the penalty spot, but Ronaldo stood alongside Persepolis players in disputing the penalty. Referee Ma Ning then checked the monitor on the pitchside and changed his decision. You can watch the video of the honest moment below.
The match-ended in 0-0 draw even though Al-Nassr were down to 10 men later. Al-Nassr defender Ali Lajimi was sent off in the second half for a dangerous challenge on Milad Sarlak, and Ronaldo gave his Saudi Arabia team a late scare when he left the pitch with a neck injury.
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However, Al-Nassr had already qualified for the knockout stages as the winner of Group E and proceeded ahead as the only unbeaten team in the group. The Riyadh team came into the game having won 18 of their previous 19 games across competitions.