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Cristiano Ronaldo looked bemused with his substitution in Al Nassr's 3-1 win over Abha in the King Cup of Champions. The Portuguese icon's reaction as he sat on the bench has since gone viral.
Ronaldo failed to impact the game significantly as he sent two shots off target and had three attempts at goal blocked. He lasted 87 minutes before being substituted for Anderson Talisca.
Al Nassr marched into the semifinals courtesy of goals from Sami Al-Najei (1'), Abdullah Al-Khaibari (21') and Mohammed Maran (49'). Meanwhile, Abdulfattah Adam Ahmad Mohammed grabbed a 69th-minute consolation goal for Abha.
However, Ronaldo's reaction to his substitution was the talking point of the game. He sat with eyes glaring at the ongoing game, seemingly frustrated to have been taken off by Rudi Garcia.
The Real Madrid legend has a history of poor reactions to being substituted. None more so than when he was withdrawn in Portugal's 2-1 defeat to South Korea in Group H of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The iconic striker appeared to swear at coach Fernando Santos on that occasion.
Fans have mocked the Portuguese's reaction to coming off against Abha. A Lionel Messi fan poked fun at Ronaldo by claiming that he's the only player to be benched in five different leagues:
"DID YOU KNOW: Cristiano Ronaldo is the ONLY player to get benched in five different leagues."
Here's how Twitter reacted to Ronaldo's substitution as Al Nassr sailed through to the King Cup of Champions semifinals:
Cristiano Ronaldo booked at half-time for tantrum after kicking ball away
Cristiano Ronaldo's frustrations boiled over while he was also on the field. The Al Nassr captain was booked for kicking the ball when the referee blew the half-time whistle.
He picked the ball up before launching it as far as he could down the field at the King Fahd International Stadium. The Portuguese forward then waved his arms around in anger before receiving his yellow card. Ronaldo appeared to be annoyed that he wasn't allowed to launch a counter for his side. The two minutes of added time had already been played.
It was a frustrating day for the former Manchester United attacker, but he has still enjoyed a superb start to life at Al Nassr. He has scored eight goals and contributed two assists in nine appearances across competitions.
His side have made it through to the semifinals of the Kings Cup and will now turn their attention to the league. They face Abha again in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday (March 18).
