"American referee", "Messi always paying the refs" - Fans claim Cristiano Ronaldo was 'robbed' of goal in Al-Nassr fixture
Cristiano Ronaldo is back to his goalscoring ways with Al Nassr, grabbing a brilliant hat-trick in his last league outing against Al Fateh. The Portuguese superstar etched his name onto the scoring sheet by slotting the ball into the net from the penalty spot in the ongoing fixture against Al Shabab.
Just when everyone thought that Cristiano Ronaldo had doubled his tally, however, his potential second goal of the match was disallowed under dubious circumstances. The 38-year-old forward was able to guide the ball past Kim Seung-gyu in the 18th minute, but a VAR review swiftly overturned the decision, cutting Al Nassr's lead by half.
Cristiano Ronaldo could be seen pushing his opponent away in the build-up to the goal. But the contact seemed to be a routine one, which made led many to believe it was a harsh decision against the Portuguese international.
Fans were quick to call out the supposed error made by the SPL officials, terming it a robbery. They took to X, formerly Twitter, to express their disbelief over the call.
One fan wrote:
"American referee"
The verdict does seem to be questionable, with Ronaldo barely inflicting enough force on the opposing defender for it to be called a foul. However, the controversial disallowance of the goal has done little to hamper Ronaldo's morale.
The former Real Madrid frontman soon gave a strong reply by netting another ball from the spot, restoring Al Nassr's two-goal lead.
Sadio Mane joined the party two minutes later, getting a goal for himself via a Cristiano Ronaldo pass. Heading into half-time, the Knights of Najd lead their opponents by three goals to nil.
Cristiano Ronaldo recently extended his lead on the hat-trick chart
Al Nassr's talisman announced his return to form with a bang, netting three goals as his side pummeled a clueless Al Fateh side. In the process, the 200-capped Portuguese international extended his lead at the top of the hat-trick list among active players.
Cristiano Ronaldo has netted an impressive 63 hat-tricks in his club career, with a further 10 coming in international games. The former Manchester United legend leads his Argentinian counterpart in this aspect; Lionel Messi is currently in second place with 57 career hat-tricks.
Polish super striker Robert Lewandowski comes in third place with 30 hat-tricks to his name, closely trailed by former Barcelona number nine Luis Suarez, who has netted 29 hat-tricks in his illustrious career.