In the 86th minute of the intense match between Al Nassr and Al Hilal, Cristiano Ronaldo found himself at the center of controversy yet again. A collision with Ali Al Bulayhi near the touchline resulted in Ronaldo thrusting his elbow into the chest of the Al Hilal defender, who fell to the ground in apparent pain.

Referee Al Hoaish wasted no time in brandishing a straight red card to Ronaldo, despite the Portuguese star’s protests of innocence. Frustrated, Ronaldo gestured angrily towards Al Hoaish before walking off the pitch in dismay.

As he made his exit, Ronaldo sarcastically applauded the match officials and even patted the assistant referee on the shoulder, further fueling the drama of the moment.

This incident came after Ronaldo’s dissatisfaction with a first-half decision to disallow an Al Nassr goal due to his involvement in the build-up play while in an offside position. Despite Otavio eventually finding the net for Al Nassr, the goal was annulled, leaving Ronaldo visibly frustrated.

Al Nassr struggled to make an impact against a dominant Al Hilal side led by coach Jorge Jesus. Despite their efforts, they fell short, succumbing to a 2-1 defeat. Al Dawsari and Malcom were the scorers for Al Hilal, with Ronaldo inadvertently involved in the build-up to the first goal.

As Ronaldo left the field, Al Nassr managed a late consolation goal through Sadio Mane in the 90+9th minute. However, it was too little, too late to overturn the result.

The defeat at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium leaves Al Nassr with only one chance at silverware this season, the King’s Cup. Ronaldo and his teammates will face Al Khaleej in the semifinals on May 2nd. In the other semifinal, Al Hilal will take on Al Ittihad, with Al Hilal poised to continue their dominance over their city rivals across all competitions.

Despite the on-field action, Ronaldo’s controversial exit stole the headlines, overshadowing what was an impressive victory for Al Hilal and further igniting debate around the star’s behavior on the pitch.