Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty in his first match since being suspended by the Portuguese Football Federation, as Al Nassr beat Saudi Pro League rivals Neom 1-0.
Ronaldo fired his spot-kick wide in first-half stoppage time after Neom defender Mohammed Al Dossary brought down João Félix in the box. That miss cost his side the chance to take an interval lead. Félix, Ronaldo's Portugal teammate, struck the winner just after the hour mark, firing home from the edge of the area.
Ronaldo was suspended for 30 days and fined €255 ($285.90) on Monday after walking out on his national team earlier this month. He had already been provisionally suspended by Portugal after leaving their camp shortly before a Nations League game against Denmark, following a dispute with head coach Jorge Jesus. Ronaldo accused Jesus of breaking promises over his playing time, having been left on the bench against Norway.
The federation said the fine was the maximum allowable after mitigating circumstances were considered, including Ronaldo's confession and clean disciplinary record. If the suspension is backdated to the provisional ruling, he will be available for his country's next match against Denmark on Nov. 14. Al Nassr's seventh league win of the season lifted them to third in the Saudi Pro League table, three points behind leaders Al Qadsiah with a game in hand.
Source: ESPN Soccer · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing