Cristiano Ronaldo issued warning after furious reaction to Jhon Duran red card
Cristiano Ronaldo reacted furiously after his Al-Nassr team-mate Jhon Duran was shown a red card in the final minutes of a 3-2 defeat by Al-Ettifaq on Friday night
by Felix Keith · The MirrorCristiano Ronaldo has been warned by his manager after letting his temper get the better of him in the aftermath of a controversial decision.
Ronaldo blew his lid on the pitch after his Al-Nassr team-mate Jhon Duran was shown a red card in the dying moments of their 3-2 defeat by Al-Ettifaq on Friday. Duran, who joined Al-Nassr from Aston Villa in January for £64million, was dismissed for an apparent slap on the back of an opponent’s head.
The Al-Ettifaq player, Abdulelah Al-Malki, made a meal of the minimal contact, going to ground and rolling around clutching his head to make sure of the punishment for Duran. Ronaldo was right up in front of the referee pleading with him not to show the card before reacting furiously, throwing his arms around, protesting with the linesman and then booting the ball off the centre spot and into the stands.
The veteran forward then proceeded towards the touchline where he appeared to be gesticulating angrily to the fourth official. He managed to escape any punishment for dissent, but the defeat was a bitter blow for Al-Nassr’s title chances.
Al-Nassr are reportedly considering appealing against the red card for star signing Duran, who is set to miss their upcoming Saudi Pro League game against bottom side Al-Wehda.
But speaking in his post-match press conference, Al-Nassr manager Stefano Pioli gave a measured response in which he appeared to criticise both Duran and Ronaldo. “I'm not happy with the red card, [but] our players have to be calm,” he said.
He added: “We could have played better, but mistakes cost me a lot today and caused the loss. Today’s match started well and we took the lead, but what made the difference were the mistakes.
“Everyone is responsible for mistakes, I am the first one responsible for correcting mistakes and we do the work very seriously. We did not lose the match for tactical reasons, but because of the individual mistakes we made.”
Former Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum made the difference for Al-Ettifaq, with his second goal coming in the 89th minute to win it. The loss leaves Al-Nassr fourth in the Saudi Pro League, eight points behind leaders Al-Ittihad, who have a game in hand, with 13 matches left to play.
Ronaldo is the top scorer in the Pro League so far this season, with 16 goals in 19 games, but his former Real Madrid team-mate Karim Benzema, of Al-Ittihad, is not far behind on 15. While the Pro League title appears a long shot for Ronaldo this season, Al-Nassr remain in contention for the AFC Champions League, with a last-16 tie against Iranian side Esteghlal coming in March.
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