Cristiano Ronaldo continued his gorgeous run of kind on Wednesday, serving to Al Nassr declare a 2-0 victory over Al Ahli in what had been a closely charged buildup. After the ultimate whistle, the Portuguese star used the event to fireside again at Ivan Toney and his Al Ahli teammates over their current social media exercise.
The controversy had begun in early April when a number of Al Ahli figures, together with head coach Matthias Jaissle, Brazilian winger Galeno and Ivan Toney, publicly vented their frustration over the refereeing choices in a 1-1 draw towards Al Fayha. The consequence had dealt a big blow to their title hopes, with the membership making pointed claims about unawarded penalties and what they perceived as a bias towards Al Nassr.
Wednesday night time introduced the 2 sides nose to nose for the primary time because the fallout. Ronaldo opened the scoring and Kingsley Coman sealed the 2-0 win, taking Al Nassr a serious stride nearer to the SPL title, and the Portuguese captain wasted no time in addressing the current off-field noise.
Talking to Vini Pereira on Canal GOAT, Ronaldo weighed in on the social media posts that had dominated the headlines in current weeks. “I believe this isn’t good for the league. Everyone seems to be complaining. Everyone seems to be doing greater than they need to be doing. That is soccer, it’s not a battle. We all know everybody has to battle and needs to win, however every little thing shouldn’t be allowed,” he mentioned.
Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr celebrates after successful towards Al Ahli
Ronaldo then made a pointed promise to talk extra publicly on the matter when the time is correct. “I’m going to talk out on the finish of the season as a result of I see a number of unhealthy issues. Many gamers make posts on Instagram and Fb complaining concerning the referees, the league, the undertaking. I believe that’s not good, and it’s not the objective of the league,” he added.
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The Portuguese legend closed with a broader attraction to professionalism, framing it as a matter of the league’s long-term credibility on the worldwide stage. “We must always set an instance, not solely right here but in addition for Europe, if we need to compete with them and be among the best leagues on the planet. I believe we should always cease this, analyze it, and discuss with the Saudi League as a result of, for me, that is not soccer,” he concluded.
Al Nassr vs. Al Ahli: The feud continues within the aftermath
The match was already dripping with stress earlier than a ball had been kicked. Al Ahli arrived as reigning AFC Champions League Elite winners, and defender Mehdi Demiral had stoked the fireplace by posting a pointed message on social media: “You have been proper. We deal with AFC.” The comment was a direct reference to the sooner claims by Al Ahli gamers {that a} referee had allegedly instructed them to “deal with the AFC,” and it did little to chill the temperature earlier than kickoff.
Within the 98th minute, Demiral discovered himself on the receiving finish of a forceful problem from Coman, who was booked with a yellow card. The choice solely deepened the defender’s anger. “They’re serving to Al Nassr in order that they will win the league. It is a shame. Have a look at my legs. What occurred is a shame. Al Ahli doesn’t need assistance to attain something. Thank God I’m with Al Ahli,” he mentioned within the combined zone.
The two-0 victory at Al Awwal Park has introduced Al Nassr to the brink of the SPL title, with the membership now sitting first on 79 factors from 30 video games, eight away from Al Hilal. With 5 video games remaining, the defeat has all however ended Al Ahli’s title aspirations, leaving them third with 66 factors from 29 video games and 13 factors adrift of the leaders.
