Al Nassr returned to the top of the Saudi championship after an impressive 5-0 victory against Al Najma, taking advantage of Al Hilal’s draw with Al Ittihad, coached by Sérgio Conceição.
Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring with a penalty and it was precisely during the celebration that the most talked about moment of the night emerged. Instead of the usual celebration, the Al Nassr captain simulated several basketball dunks, in a gesture interpreted as a direct provocation towards Rúben Neves, an Al Hilal player.
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates his goal in a different way ⚽️🐐 |
— Eight Sports (@thmanyahsports)
The day before, the Portuguese midfielder had harshly criticized the refereeing, using comparisons with basketball and handball to describe moves inside the area that, in his opinion, deserved a penalty. Ronaldo’s celebration was seen as an ironic response to these statements.
🎙️ Ruben Neves: “I have seen players playing almost basketball and the ball inside the box, and the referees go to the screen and still don’t give a penalty.” 🇵🇹
— All About SPL 🔔 🇸🇦 (@Saudifutbol)
Doubts about the meaning of the gesture were dispelled with a publication from the club itself on social media, where Al Nassr wrote that, “whether it’s football or basketball, it’s always a dunk for the GOAT”, accompanying the phrase with images of the Portuguese striker’s new celebration.
Football or Basketball, it’s always a SLAM DUNK for the GOAT 🏀🐐
— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN)
