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In brief
João Félix scored in the 61st minute after a pass from Ângelo, while Ronaldo missed a penalty at 45+6 and a close-range chance early in the second half.
The Portuguese Football Federation's disciplinary council fined Ronaldo 255 euros and suspended him for 30 days over his 30 September departure from the national team camp. The suspension ends on 30 October.
Al Nassr coach Ange Postecoglou chose not to publicly criticise Ronaldo's misses and said the team would work on correcting its mistakes.
Ronaldo has 981 career goals, 19 short of 1,000, a mark no player in football history has reached.
- 45+6th minuteRonaldo's penalty goes wide, leaving the score 0-0 at half-time
- Early second halfRonaldo shoots over the crossbar from close range with an open goal
- 61st minuteJoão Félix scores the only goal from a pass by Ângelo
- 90+1st minuteJoão Félix is substituted in stoppage time
Match and goals
Al Nassr beat Neom SC 1-0 in Riyadh on Tuesday, 20 October, in the tenth round of the Saudi league. João Félix scored the only goal in the 61st minute, finishing a pass from Ângelo. Ronaldo, 41, sent a penalty wide in the sixth minute of stoppage time at the end of the first half, so the match was goalless at the break. Early in the second half, with an almost empty goal in front of him, he shot over the crossbar. He later missed another chance to score, yet his side still took all three points.
Al Nassr moved up to third place with 22 points, while Neom SC stayed sixth on 16. At the top, Al-Qadisiya had 25 points and Al Hilal 24.
- Al-Qadisiya
- 25 points
- Al Hilal
- 24 points
- Al Nassr
- 22 points
- Neom SC
- 16 points
Data from the article text
Postecoglou's response
After the final whistle, Al Nassr coach Ange Postecoglou was seen in a long conversation with Ronaldo, in a video shared on social media. At his post-match press conference, Postecoglou said the team creates many chances and would work to correct its mistakes. He chose not to turn the striker's misses into a matter of public criticism and stressed that the whole squad must take responsibility for results. Postecoglou also said Al Nassr has important absences and will try to bring back all unavailable players.
Suspension from the Portugal squad
The Portuguese Football Federation's disciplinary council announced on Monday, 19 October, a 30-day suspension and a fine of 255 euros for Ronaldo. The sanction followed his departure from the national team camp on 30 September, during preparation for the Nations League, after a dispute with coach Jorge Jesus over his role in the team. The federation's regulation allows a suspension of one to six months for leaving a national team camp without justification, and the 30 days applied sit within that range. The suspension ends on 30 October, before Portugal's last two Nations League rounds. Jesus has said he would not object to Ronaldo's return, and it remains open whether he will be named for the games against Denmark on 14 November in Braga and Wales three days later in Cardiff.
Apology, criticism and the 1,000-goal chase
In a five-page statement, Ronaldo apologised to Portuguese fans and said he remains available to the national team after serving the ban. The same statement criticised Jesus and spoke of an absolute breakdown of trust with the coach. Ronaldo has faced heavy criticism from much of world football, and Erik ten Hag's comments in an interview on Tuesday were among the harshest. Praise came from allies such as Rio Ferdinand, Piers Morgan and Edu Aguirre. Ronaldo has 981 career goals, 19 short of 1,000, which would make him the first player in football history to reach that mark. For Portugal he holds the record for appearances with 234 and for goals with 146.