Al-Hilal won the Saudi Super Cup final on Saturday night by beating Al-Nassr 4-1, and Cristiano Ronaldo made no secret of his frustration with his team-mates during the match.
Ronaldo opened the scoring for his team just before halftime (44th minute), but Al-Nassr’s defence collapsed within 17 minutes. Sergej Milinković-Savić (55th minute), Aleksandar Mitrović (63rd, 69th minute), and Malcom (72nd minute) found the back of the net, sealing a clear victory for Al-Hilal.
Al-Nassr’s defensive disorganization, compounded by a monumental mistake from their goalkeeper on the fourth goal, visibly frustrated Ronaldo. The Portuguese, visibly annoyed, mimed to his teammates that they should stop “sleep” on the ground.
Ronaldo explodes his anger at Al-Nassr players and indicates that the team is asleep 😨😴#AlHilal_AlNasr #Diriyah_Saudi_Super_Cup pic.twitter.com/cJYSPA7k49
— KHALID ALOLYAN 🇸🇦🐪 (@OLYAN15K) August 17, 2024
His irritation culminated when he imitated the sign of fear, going so far as to pretend to tremble in an exaggerated manner, indirectly criticizing the nervousness of his teammates. Dejected by the turn of events, Ronaldo left the pitch at the end of the match without even collecting his medal, illustrating his disappointment at this new defeat.
Since his arrival, Al-Nassr have failed to win any major trophy, while rival clubs Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad have accumulated five and two titles respectively. With the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s contract ending in June, Ronaldo’s future and his ability to lead Al-Nassr to the top remain uncertain.
