Cristiano Ronaldo received many compliments for refusing to take a penalty kick

The incident occurred in the second minute of the match, when Cristiano Ronaldo fell in the penalty area during a challenge with a Persepolis (Iran) player. The referee immediately awarded a penalty, much to the protest of the visiting team. However, the Portuguese star then ran to the referee, gestured, and stated that it was not a foul punishable by a penalty.

Cristiano Ronaldo (left)

The Portuguese star gestured and said it wasn't a penalty after the fall at the beginning of the match.

Chinese referee Ma Ning then reviewed VAR and confirmed that it was not a foul that should have resulted in a penalty for the Persepolis player. Ma Ning reversed his penalty decision as requested by Cristiano Ronaldo.

"This is a rare act of fair play from Cristiano Ronaldo in a match situation. Similar situations have occurred before, such as when former Lazio striker Miroslav Klose requested that a penalty be canceled, much to the applause of the opposing players. Cristiano Ronaldo also received praise for his act of fair play," Marca reported.

Cristiano Ronaldo's refusal to take the penalty was also Al Nassr's best chance to score in the match against Persepolis. Because they were down to 10 men for the remainder of the game after Lajami received a red card in the 17th minute, they faced significant difficulties.

Cristiano Ronaldo also played poorly, failing to create any further threats to Persepolis' goal, resulting in a goalless draw at home for Al Nassr. However, this result was enough to secure Al Nassr's place in the AFC Champions League Round of 16 with one match remaining.

"It's great that we've gotten through the group stage and achieved an unbeaten run of 20 matches. The team spirit was fantastic," Cristiano Ronaldo wrote on his personal social media account X (formerly Twitter) after the match.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/cristiano-ronaldo-nhan-nhieu-loi-khen-khi-tu-choi-sut-phat-den-185231128072859851.htm