Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr punished for breaking rule in 4-1 win over Al-Taawoun: Reports
Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr have been fined for being late to walk out on the pitch for the second half in their league clash against Al-Taawoun on 30 December.
Faris Najd won 4-1 thanks to goals from their foreign exports. The hosts opened the scoring in the 13th minute at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium before Marcelo Brozovic and Aymeric Laporte put Al-Nassr 2-1 up before half-time.
The visitors seemingly took extra time to come out of the tunnel for the second half, for which they have now been fined. According to local news outlet SSC Sports, the Disciplinary Committee has fined Al-Nassr 19,000 riyal (~$5,066) for their action.
The apparent extra pep talk inside the dressing room seemed to have worked. They came out and scored two more goals without a reply, with strikes from Otavia (50') and Cristiano Ronaldo (90+2') sealing the scoreline.
Ronaldo's strike meant he ended the year with 54 goals for club and country and across competitions. No player in the world had a better season in terms of goals in 2023.
The win also took Al-Nassr to within seven points of league leaders Al-Hilal in the table, who have 53 points from 19 league games so far.
How is Cristiano Ronaldo's season going at Al-Nassr?
Cristiano Ronaldo has been relentless in terms of goal contributions this season. The 38-year-old superstar has shown no signs of slowing down and has struck 24 goals and 11 assists in 25 games across competitions.
Twenty of these 24 goals have come in the Saudi Pro League, where he averages a goal every 81 minutes. He has scored or assisted one goal each in 15 of his 18 league appearances this season, where he also leads the Golden Boot race.
Al-Nassr will resume competitive actions on 12 February when they take on Al Feiha in the first leg of the AFC Champions League Round of 16. Before that, a mouth-watering friendly awaits at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh on 1 February against Lionel Messi's Inter Miami.
Ronaldo played an important role in Al-Nassr's passage to the knockout rounds of the AFC Champions League. His team remained unbeaten in the competition, winning four games and drawing two, while 'CR7' scored thrice and assisted once in four appearances.