Cristiano Ronaldo became enraged when Jordan Henderson managed to escape a red card during a heated altercation between Al-Ettifaq and Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
Star-studded Al-Nassr took on Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq in the last 16 of the aptly called King Cup.
For the home team, Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum started in midfield, while the recognisable faces in the opposition XI included Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, Otavio, Marcelo Brozovic, Aymeric Laporte, and Alex Telles.
Referee controversy tainted the game; at one point, Ronaldo gestured for official Piero Maza to be replaced.
Talisca, the forward for Al-Nassr, was sent off deep into stoppage time in the first half. As the game got closer to its conclusion, there was a flurry of activity.
After Ali Hazazi’s late challenge, which resulted in Otavio’s dismissal from Al-Ettifaq, Henderson repeatedly pushed Otavio to the ground.
The former Liverpool captain did it right in front of the referee, but he got away with it because Laporte shoved Henderson angrily before Mane intervened to console his former teammate.
Ronaldo then challenged Henderson as they were making their way to the touchline as the whistle for the end of normal time blew.
With evident frustration at Henderson’s involvement in a circumstance that saw both teams collide close to the centre circle, Ronaldo made a gesture in Henderson’s direction.
The 33-year-old managed to play the entire 120 minutes despite typically performing for crowds of fewer than 1,000 in Saudi Arabia.
Al-Nassr advanced to the quarterfinals after Mane scored the game-winning goal in the second half of extra time, eliminating Al-Ettifaq from the competition.
Gerrard stated, “I have never seen a decision as bad” as the one that resulted in Hazazi’s dismissal, in remarks made following the game.
He told reporters, “I have never seen a decision as bad as that. I became a professional football player in 1997.”
“The referee informed my staff that he sent my player off due to the Al-Nassr players’ reaction. If that is true, the referee will issue a red card each time the Al-Nassr players react.
“I’ve played in a thousand games and watched many others play, and in football, that’s known as a professional tactical foul.
It wasn’t hostile, harmful, or hazardous in any way.
“That is a yellow card, not a red card, in any football match, anywhere in the world, at any level. Truth.
Subsequently, Al-Ettifaq verified that they had formally requested an audio recording of the conversations held that evening between the referee and VAR.
