The head coach of the Saudi Arabian Pro League club Al-Nassr Luis Castro criticized the referee's decision to send off forward Cristiano Ronaldo in the country's Super Cup semifinal match against Al-Hilal.
The match ended on April 9 in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in favor of the “Bosses” with a score of 2-1. Midfielder Salem Al-Dawsari and forward Malcom were the ones who scored. The 39-year-old Portuguese player was sent off in the 86th minute of the match.
During the match, the World Club star first elbowed Al-Hilal's defender Renan Lodi during a throw-in, leading to a confrontation between players of both teams. After receiving the red card, Ronaldo made a fist gesture towards the referee and threw his captain's armband towards one of his teammates before applauding the referee and urging Al-Nassr fans to do the same.
During the current season, we noticed more than once that Cristiano Ronaldo was deliberately provoked during the match. It is difficult to talk about Ronaldo’s red card, and we saw several clips earlier in the season in which Ronaldo was provoked, and after seeing some of the pictures Ronaldo did not do anything that deserved to be sent off, and the opposing player acted.
Luis Castro
In the final of the Saudi Arabian Super Cup, Al-Hilal will face Al-Ittihad on April 11.