Abu Dhabi [UAE], April 9 : AL-Hilal head coach Jorge Jesus backed Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo after he got sent off for elbowing an opponent during the Saudi Super Cup semi-final.
Al-Nassr were trailing by 2-0 when the referee showed a red card to Ronaldo for elbowing his opponent and then he went on to raise his fist towards the referee after the card was shown and he went on to sarcastically applaud the referee, according to goal. com
Sadio Mane scored in the injury time to make the scoreline 2-1. After the game, Jesus gave his take on the red card incident.
"Ronaldo is an example and a role model for a large number of players in the world. He is not accustomed to losing in his career, and it is natural for him to lose his mental and emotional side when he loses," Jesus said, according to Goal.com.
AL-Hilal managed to contain Ronaldo and Mane throughout the game which played a major role in their win and sealed a spot in the final.
"I expected Al-Nassr to defend with five defenders, and we presented a match with a high tactical approach, and we excelled with technical and physical advantage. Our victories have continued in the absence of two big stars, Neymar and [Aleksandar] Mitrovic, and we could have won by more than two goals," Jesus added.
After missing out on silverware, Al Nassr will be back in action on Friday as they gear up to face Al Feiha in the Saudi Pro League. Ronaldo will have another shot at a trophy as they face Al-Khaleej in the semi-final of King Cup of Champions.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor