Why was Cristiano Ronaldo sent off for Al Nassr? Did he try to punch the referee?

Cristiano Ronaldo was handed a red card in the game between Al Nassr and Al Hilal in the Saudi Super Cup. The forward was given a red card with 4 minutes to go of normal time in a heated tie that saw Al Hilal establish a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Malcom and Aldawsari before Mané cut the deficit for the team led by the Portuguese with just minutes to spare. Jorge Jesus’ side went on to win the game.

Throughout the game, Ronaldo had not been at his best, and missed chances for his side who could not compete against an Al Hilal side that have looking utterly dominating all season in Saudi Arabia and beyond. The red card was the culmination and explosion of a frustrated ‘CR7′.

Why was Ronaldo sent off for Al Nassr?

The game, as mentioned, did not go well for Ronaldo, who spent most of the match sarcastically applauding the official, who he thought was being unfair. An elbow on Saud was enough for the referee to award the former Real Madrid man a yellow and his angry protest saw the yellow quickly upgraded to a red.

The reaction has hit social media like a match to a puddle of oil, with the following video flying around of what appears to be Ronaldo acting angrily to the decision from the official.

Ronaldo made his way down the tunnel with a look of fury etched across his face. The sending off comes at a tough time for the forward who missed out on the recent game against Damac, and was left on the bench by the manager, Luis Castro.

Ronaldo will now presumably serve a ban. We do not know how long that ban will be for, as the player was given a yellow and then a red card. He could miss out for anything from one to three games, or even potentially more, depending on the severity of the issue in question, which will undoubtedly be looked at by Saudi league officials.