Clashes between players on the pitch are common in the sport of soccer, and while they are unsavory, they add a level of competitiveness to the matches. On such clash has now made headlines, with the players involved being Cristiano Ronaldo and Jordan Henderson.
The two players are in the Saudi Pro League now, a league that continues to grow in popularity, and the Saudi nation has now even won the 2034 World Cup bid. While Ronaldo was playing for Al Nassr, Henderson joined Al Ettifaq. When the two teams faced each other, the two European elite players clashed.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Henderson involved in heated altercation
Yesterday night, the two players’ teams clashed in the Round of 16 in the King’s Cup of Champions. Both Al Nassr and Al Ettifaq played out a lengthy draw in normal time but lost out in extra time. It was a very heated affair between the two teams, who fought hard for the victory.
During the end of the second half, Henderson, who was just a few months ago the captain of Liverpool, was seen pushing opposition winger Otavio 3 times. But he somehow escaped any punishment from the referee. Instead, his teammate Ali Abdullah Hazazi was sent off for starting the altercation in the first place by tripping Otavio.
This decision by the referee was seen as blasphemous by Cristiano Ronaldo himself, who even asked the referee to be replaced for his decisions. He was visibly frustrated the whole game, with the Ettifaq fans mocking him by chanting his rival Lionel Messi’s name. After the full-time whistle was blown, Henderson and Ronaldo were involved in a somewhat heated argument.
Ronaldo was seen gesturing angrily to Henderson, and the two of them walked together to the tunnel. It seemed that Ronaldo was berating him, while Henderson did not seem to want to argue. The two had formerly faced off during their days in Europe, with Ronaldo facing the former Liverpool midfielder with both Real Madrid and Manchester United.
Al Nassr secured extra-time victory over Al Ettifaq
The match was intense right from the start, as both teams desperately wanted to win. The end of the first half saw the sending off of Al Nassr’s Talisca, which led the team to go on the defensive. Even Cristiano Ronaldo was yellow carded in the game.
At the end of the second half, as mentioned in the first subheading, Al Ettifaq also saw a player sent off. In extra time of the game, the two teams continued to find a breakthrough. Former Liverpool and Bayern Munich winger Sadio Mane scored the winning goal in the 107th minute, which won Al Nassr a ticket to the quarterfinals.
Al Nassr and Cristiano Ronaldo will now turn their attention to the league, where they are second placed, four points behind leaders Al Hilal. They will next face Al Khaleej on Sunday
