"Shame on you", "League is a joke" - Fans blast SPL for not choosing Cristiano Ronaldo's 40-yard lob as Goal of the Week
Fans on X (formerly Twitter) have blasted the Saudi Pro League for snubbing Cristiano Ronaldo's 40-yard lob as the Goal of the Week.
Ronaldo rolled back the years with a delightful lob from distance in the 80th minute on Friday, November 24. By scoring the Puskas award worthy goal, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner helped Al-Nassr secure a dominant 3-0 win against Al-Akhdoud in the Saudi Pro League.
Several fans expected Cristiano Ronaldo to easily secure the league's Goal of the Week award. However, to their horror, it was instead given to Mohamed Kanno of Al-Hilal, the arch-rivals of Al-Nassr.
Kanno was on target, helping Al-Hilal secure a 9-0 win against Al-Hazm on Saturday, November 25. His 32nd-minute venomous strike from outside the box was struck well but was palmed into the net by the keeper, who arguably should have done better.
Fans were furious with his strike being chosen over Ronaldo's with one fan posting:
"League is a joke."
Another fan wrote:
"You are so pathetic. Shame on you"
Despite missing out on the award, Ronaldo has had a stellar season to date. The 38-year-old has netted 18 goals and provided nine assists in 19 appearances across all competitions and is the league's top scorer as well.
How did Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr perform against Persepolis in their AFC Champions League clash?
Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr were held to a 0-0 stalemate against Iranian outfit Persepolis in the AFC Champions League on Monday, Nov. 27. Let's take a look at the stats to see how the home side fared against Persepolis.
The Knights of Najd got off to the worst start possible as Ali Lajami was given a straight red card in the 17th minute for a poor foul. Despite being down to 10 men, Al-Nassr defended well to prevent Persepolis from scoring even though the away team had 12 shots, four being on target.
Cristiano Ronaldo had to be subbed off in the 78th minute due to a neck injury, ending Al-Nassr's hopes of finding a late winner. They were unable to carry much threat going forward, landing just six shots with one being on target.
To their credit, Al-Nassr had 51% possession and attempted a total of 487 passes with an accuracy of 89%. In contrast, Persepolis had 49% possession with an accuracy of 90%.
Cristiano Ronaldo and company will be aiming to bounce back against their rivals Al-Hilal in the SPL on Friday, December 1.