Cristiano Ronaldo found himself in the role of peacemaker during a fiery Saudi Pro League clash between his side, Al-Nassr, and rivals Al-Ittihad. The drama unfolded around the 60th minute, when Karim Benzema, his former Real Madrid teammate, became embroiled in a confrontation with Otavio. Ronaldo stepped in to calm the situation, preventing it from escalating further. Moments later, Otavio was knocked to the ground after an apparent blow to the face from Danilo Pereira, another Portuguese player. Pereira’s frustration led to him receiving a surprise yellow card for the incident.
The match itself was a high-energy affair, with Al-Nassr ultimately falling 2-1 to Al-Ittihad. Benzema opened the scoring in the 55th minute, but Ronaldo quickly equalized just two minutes later. Despite their best efforts, Al-Nassr’s hopes were dashed in stoppage time when former Tottenham winger Steven Bergwijn netted a dramatic last-minute winner for Ittihad. This defeat left Al-Nassr in fourth place in the Saudi Pro League, now 11 points behind Ittihad, who lead the table with a five-point advantage.
In the stands, the match attracted a star-studded crowd, including Hollywood heavyweights Vin Diesel, Michael Douglas, and Spike Lee. The trio had arrived in Saudi Arabia earlier in the week for the Red Sea International Film Festival, which is showcasing a diverse range of films from across the Arab world, Asia, and Africa. The festival’s Yusr Awards will be presented by a jury led by Spike Lee.
For Al-Nassr, this loss marked their second consecutive defeat in stoppage time, following a similar 2-1 loss to Al-Sadd in the AFC Champions League. With the Saudi Pro League entering a long winter break, Ronaldo’s side will need to regroup and address their recent setbacks.
