November 28 – Cristiano Ronaldo may be known for his goalscoring exploits but on Monday night the Portuguese super star convinced the referee not to award his Al-Nassr side a penalty.
Ronaldo’s honesty meant 10-man Al-Nassr held on to draw 0-0 with Persepolis of Iran in the Asian Champions League.
Ronaldo went down in the box in the opening moments and the referee pointed to the spot, only for him to join Persepolis players in disputing the call. The referee then checked the pitchside monitor and overturned his decision.
Al-Nassr defender Ali Lajimi was later sent off for a dangerous challenge and Ronaldo gave the Saudis a late scare when he exited with a neck injury.
Al-Nassr said the former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward “showed a great deal of sportsmanship” in helping to reverse the penalty decision.
Al-Nassr had already qualified for the knockout stages as the Group E winner and advanced unbeaten. The Riyadh side came into the game having won 18 of its previous 19 games in all competitions.
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