Cristiano Ronaldo Scores Winner For Al-Nassr In Saudi Arabia, Says League Is Improving

Riyadh: Cristiano Ronaldo helped Al-Nassr keep its Saudi Arabian title hopes alive by scoring the winning goal in a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Al-Shabab on Tuesday. If second-place Al-Nassr had lost the Riyadh derby then leader Al-Ittihad, which beat Al-Batin 1-0 earlier, would have been crowned champion with two games of the season remaining.

Cristian Guanca scored twice for Al-Shabab before Anderson Talisca of Brazil pulled a goal back for Al-Nassr just before the break. Six minutes after the restart, the nine-time champions were level as Abdulrahman Ghareeb made it 2-2 from close range.

Just before the hour, Ronaldo put Al-Nassr ahead in style, sprinting past two defenders to curl a shot into the top corner from the edge of the area. It was the Portugal star's 14th goal since joining after the World Cup. “To be 2-0 down is very difficult but we believed until the end and scored three goals so congratulations to the team and the supporters who were amazing today,” the former Real Madrid star said.

Great team spirit to come back and win it!
Big thank you to the fans that stood with us when we most needed ! __ __ pic.twitter.com/juwdTz5HUW — Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) May 23, 2023

Al-Ittihad is three points clear at the top of the standings. Ronaldo said the Saudi league is slowly improving: “Step-by step I think this league will be in the top five leagues in the world but they need time, they need players, they need infrastructure.”

Racial abuse against Vinicius Junior brings arrests and partial closure of Valencia stadium

Madrid: Spanish police took action Tuesday after the latest case of abuse against Vinicius Junior, arresting seven people accused of racially insulting the Real Madrid player. Spanish soccer officials also acted, fining Valencia 45,000 euros ($48,500) and closing part of the team's stadium for the next five games.

Three people were detained in Valencia for alleged abuse against Vinicius in Sunday’s match between Valencia and Madrid. Four were arrested in Madrid for allegedly hanging an effigy of the player off a highway bridge in January.

The arrests came after an outpouring of support for Vinicius after he said he was abused in Valencia. The case prompted widespread reaction from sports figures and government officials in Spain and worldwide. The section of Mestalla Stadium that will be closed is where the insults against Vinicius came from, behind one of the goals. It’s also where the club’s more hardcore fans usually are located.

The Spanish federation’s competition’s committee also made the unusual decision to annul the red card shown to Vinicius after an altercation with Valencia players late in Sunday’s match. The committee said video review failed to show the referee the entire altercation, including the part in which Vinicius was grabbed from behind by an opponent.