Cristiano Ronaldo was visibly frustrated during Al-Nassr’s game against Al-Ittihad when opposition supporters taunted him with Lionel Messi chants as he stormed off down the tunnel kicking water bottles out of his way.
The loss marked the second successive match on the spin in which the five-time Ballon d’Or winner failed to find the net in yet another frustrating display for Al-Nassr, with Al-Ittihad shot-stopper Marcelo Grohe preventing the 37-year-old from salvaging a draw for his side by parrying away a powerful strike from the Portugal superstar in injury time.
Brazilian ace Romarinho scored 10 minutes from time was enough to seal a 1-0 victory for Al-Ittihad, who have now leapfrogged Al-Nassr to take top spot in the Saudi Pro League standings.
Al-Ittihad’s supporters taunted Ronaldo throughout the match, constantly chanting the name of his perennial rival, Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo, who has scored eight goals in seven league games for Al-Nassr this season, allowed the situation to provoke him to produce a reaction as he headed into the tunnel at the final whistle.
He took off his captain’s armband before leaving the pitch and looked set to smash it on the ground, before regaining his cool, only kicking water bottles along the way.
Despite the setback and the following criticism from certain sections of Al-Nassr supporters, Ronaldo took to social media to thank the fans and focus on the club’s next game.
“Disappointed with the result, but we stay focused on our season and the games ahead. Thank you Al-Nassr fans for your support, we know we can count on you!” the Portuguese wrote on Twitter in the aftermath of the game as he had calmed down a bit by the time he posted this tweet.