Al Ittihad hosted Al Nassr this Saturday, Sept. 5, on Matchday 5 of the Saudi Pro League. The match, which proved to be a very difficult one for Cristiano Ronaldo’s team, will perhaps not be what fans remember most.
A hilarious image involving Ronaldo and a compatriot who plays for the opposing team was captured in the final minutes of the game.
To put things into context, it was a very difficult match. Despite Al Ittihad’s clear dominance, especially during the first hour of the game, there came a point when Al Nassr was applying a lot of pressure.
At one point during the match, Al Ittihad manager Jens Wissing handed Portuguese center back Danilo Pereira a piece of paper with some instructions.
The captain took the paper and entered the field with it, and while he read it, Ronaldo could be seen peeking over his shoulder to see what the message said. When Danilo noticed, the two laughed.
كريستيانو رونالدو يحاول قراءة ورقة التوجيهات الخاصة بمدرب الاتحاد 🔥🎥#الاتحاد_النصر | #دوري_روشن_السعودي pic.twitter.com/5x5rZYxsdQ
— رياضة ثمانية (@thmanyahsports) September 5, 2026
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr Suffer Disappointing Defeat to Al Ittihad
Despite the entertaining moment, it was a disappointing performance from Ange Postecoglou’s team. For most of the match, they found themselves in an inferior position against Al Ittihad.
The home side quickly took the lead with a brace from Jorginho and Lenikema. In the 36th minute, Angelo pulled one back with a goal that came after a series of rebounds inside the opposition penalty area, as well as an ineffective shot from João Félix.
In addition to the team’s poor overall performance, Kingsley Coman had to leave the match in the 60th minute, apparently due to an injury, which is also very bad news for Postecoglou and his coaching staff.
To put Al Ittihad’s overwhelming dominance over Al Nassr into perspective, you only need to take a look at the statistics from the first 45 minutes. While the home side had an expected goals tally of 1.04, Ronaldo and company managed just 0.53.
Al Ittihad recorded nine total shots in the first half compared with just three from Al Nassr. In terms of touches in the opposition penalty area, the home side also outperformed Ange Postecoglou’s team, eight to six. Additionally, the team captained by Danilo Pereira created two big chances in the first 45 minutes, compared with one for Al Nassr.
Al Nassr’s next match will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 9, when they face Abha Club.
Cristiano Ronaldo Caught in Hilarious Moment During Al-Nassr Match