After Al Nassr was awarded a penalty by the referee for falling inside the penalty area of Persepolis during the AFC Champions League, Cristiano Ronaldo requested that the video assistant referee (VAR) step in and reverse the decision.

On November 27, in the second minute of the Group E match, Ronaldo got into an argument with Rafiei inside the penalty area, and he ended up dropping to the ground. A penalty was quickly given to Al Nassr by the referee, despite the objections of the players from Persepolis. The fact that Ronaldo came up to him and shook his finger while continuously stating, “It’s not a penalty” and asking the referee to reverse his decision was a surprise to him.

During the match against Persepolis that took place on November 27 at Riyad, Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo (No. 7) repeatedly shook his finger to indicate to the referee that he did not intend to issue a penalty. Taken by the Vanguard

The referee was also informed by the defenders of the opposing team about Ronaldo’s stance, and they expressed their admiration for the Portuguese superstar. According to Ronaldo’s request, the referee opted to cancel Al Nassr’s penalty kick after checking with the video assistant referee. There was a dispute between Rafiei and Al Nassr, and Rafiei took the initiative to withdraw his legs during the conflict.

On several social networking sites, a commotion was sparked by Ronaldo’s action of playing fair. On the show X, a significant number of fans reaffirmed their belief that the superstar, who is 38 years old, is the best player. In the event that Lionel Messi were to be in Qatar, it would most surely not take place. “This is the reason why Ronaldo is the greatest player in the history of the game,” write Chava.

The account Madridfooty also cites Messi, stating that “Messi kicked five imaginary penalties in the World Cup.” On the other hand, the account Abdul Raymann stated that Ronaldo’s deeds were “the choice of GOAT – the greatest player.” According to a different account, Ronaldo would not be truthful about the penalty if it were the final of the Champions League football tournament.

Collision situation between Ronaldo (yellow) and Rafiei in the penalty area in the second minute. Photo: Vanguard

In point of fact, Al Nassr had to endure a challenging encounter against Persepolis as a result of Ronaldo’s choice to decline a penalty kick. The home team was unable to take the lead, and in the seventeenth minute, Ali Lajami was shown a red card, which resulted in the loss of a player. When compared to the opponent’s twelve finishes during the entire match, Al Nassr only managed to finish six times. Although the home team only managed to score once, Persepolis managed to score four goals.

Al Nassr and the Iranian representation played to a scoreless draw, which was made possible by the outstanding performance of goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi. The fact that Ronaldo and his teammates are currently positioned first in Group E one match early on with 13 points, five points ahead of Persepolis, ensures that they will move to the next round.