"They trying everything to give Ronaldo the golden boot" - Fans mock Cristiano Ronaldo despite his brace in Al-Nassr's 5-2 win over Al-Ittihad
Fans on X (formerly Twitter) mocked Cristiano Ronaldo after he scored a brace from the penalty spot in the game against Al-Ittihad. The Portugal icon inspired Al-Nassr to a 5-2 win against the Saudi Pro League champions away from home on Tuesday, December 26.
Ronaldo found the back of the net in the 11th minute but he was deemed to have been offside in the build-up. Abderrazak Hamdallah then gave the hosts the lead three minutes later with a fine finish past Nawaf Alaqidi.
Al-Nassr were given a penalty in the 17th minute after Otavio was fouled in the box. Cristiano Ronaldo made no mistake from the spot to level the scores. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner then struck the crossbar in the 22nd minute.
Anderson Talisca made it 2-1 16 minutes later, to give the Knights of Najd the lead. However, Hamdallah headed home to make it 2-2 in the 52nd minute. Karim Benzema was guilty of missing an open goal a minute later that could have given his side the lead.
Al-Ittihad conceded another penalty in the 66th minute, with Fabinho being sent off for accidentally striking Otavio in the face. Cristiano Ronaldo was on target again to give his side the lead again. Sadio Mane then scored twice in the 75th and 82nd minutes to seal a dominant 5-2 win for the away side.
Ronaldo's brace took him to 53 goals in 2023, overtaking Harry Kane to become the highest goalscorer of the year. However, many fans trolled him for being dependent on penalties, with 15 of his total tally coming from a spot-kick.
One fan posted on X, accusing the Saudi Pro League of helping Ronaldo win the Golden Boot:
"They trying everything to give Ronaldo the golden boot. A brace for pens?? Esiz! Come on Haaland."
How did Cristiano Ronaldo fare overall in Al-Nassr's 5-2 win against Al-Ittihad?
Cristiano Ronaldo netted twice to help Al-Nassr cruise to a 5-2 win against Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League on Tuesday. Luis Castro's men remain second in the league table with 43 points from 18 games, seven behind leaders Al-Hilal. Let's take a look at how the Portugal ace performed in the game.
The 38-year-old completed 26 out of his 29 passes with an accuracy of 90%. He also landed three shots on target from five attempts and was guilty of missing one big chance. However, he landed zero accurate crosses from six attempts and lost two duels.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been in exceptional form this season, having scored 23 goals and provided 11 assists in 24 appearances across all competitions.
The Knights of Njad will take on Al-Taawoun at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium in their final game of the year on December 30.