Ronaldo waves Saudi-flag scarf after match interrupted by missile alert
Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo waved a scarf with the Saudi flag after Al Nassr’s victory.
On Monday, Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr faced a delay of one hour in their Asian Champions League match against Neftchi Fergana at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh. This interruption occurred after the Saudi-led military coalition claimed to have intercepted a Houthi missile aimed at Riyadh. Saudi Arabia has been targeted by the Iran-backed group in recent weeks, with attacks on oil facilities, tankers, transport hubs, and even Riyadh's international airport.
Despite the looming threat, the stadium announcer reassured the sparse crowd that the situation was safe, and the match would proceed as scheduled. The match was set to begin at 9:15pm local time (1815 GMT). The stadium announcer requested spectators to remain seated and in their seats, but this warning was followed by explosive sounds in Riyadh and a phone alert to residents, advising them to stay indoors and away from windows and doors.
The broadcast of the match announced the one-hour delay before the game commenced. Al Nassr's Ronaldo scored his 981st career goal just before halftime, contributing to the Saudi champions' 3-1 victory.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- Ronaldo’s Al Nassr match delayed after missile threat near Riyadh freemalaysiatoday.com
- Ronaldo scores amid Riyadh security scare to close in on 1,000 career goals timesofindia.indiatimes.com
- Coalition forces intercept ballistic missile fired by Houthis toward Riyadh saudigazette.com.sa
