‘Cheat and keep losing!’: Ronaldo criticized after being caught spying on his rival’s tactics in first defeat of the season | football news

Cristiano Ronaldo has never been one to leave a competitive advantage unexplored.But even by Ronaldo’s standards, his latest attempt to gain an advantage was quite brazen.The Al-Nassr captain was caught on camera appearing to sneak a peek at Al-Ittihad defender Danilo’s tactical instructions during Saturday’s Saudi Pro League clash, producing one of the most joyful moments on an otherwise fiercely contested night.Unfortunately for Ronaldo, the laughs didn’t last as long as the joke.

Ronaldo was caught observing Al-Ittihad’s tactics

The amusing incident unfolded during a tense moment when Danilo received a piece of paper containing tactical instructions from the Al-Ittihad bench.Ronaldo immediately stood next to the defender and seemed to take the opportunity to take a quick look at what was written on the note.Danilo soon noticed what his opponent was doing and turned to Ronaldo as the two shared a smile.For a moment, the joyous exchange cut through the tension of a fiercely contested match.But Ronaldo’s attempted tactical espionage ultimately did little to help Al-Nassr.The Portuguese striker played the full 90 minutes, but could not find the goal that would have rescued his team from its first defeat of the season.His best attempt was parried away by Predrag Rajkovic, and the Al-Ittihad goalkeeper produced an excellent performance in the second half to protect his team’s lead.And after the final whistle, Al-Ittihad seemed to have the last laugh.The Jeddah club posted a message on X directly addressed to their opponents, captioning it:“Cheat and keep losing!”The post appeared to refer to Ronaldo’s attempt to read the written tactical instructions, adding an extra touch to what had already been a frustrating night for the Al-Nassr captain.

Ilenikhena’s double ends Al-Nassr’s perfect start

The result was a major setback for Ange Postecoglou, whose honeymoon in Al-Nassr collapsed against an impressive Al-Ittihad.Al-Ittihad only needed four minutes to take the lead.George Ilenikhena rose to head home from close range, immediately putting Al-Nassr under pressure.The striker thought he had doubled the lead soon after when he ran and found the net, but the attempt was disallowed for offside.He didn’t have to wait long for another chance.In the 22nd minute, Ilenikhena received a pass from Houssem Aouar before curling a magnificent shot over the goalkeeper to make it 2-0.Al-Nassr responded before the break.João Félix saw his shot saved by Rajkovic, but Angelo Gabriel reacted faster to the rebound and reduced the deficit before the break.That turned out to be Al-Nassr’s only breakthrough.Rajkovic held firm throughout the second half, denying Ronaldo and his teammates as Ittihad held on for a convincing victory.The defeat leaves Al-Nassr three points behind league leaders Al-Hilal, while Al-Ittihad moved up to fourth place with 11 points.There was also controversy surrounding Al-Nassr’s goal, with Al-Ittihad supporters arguing that Angelo’s effort should have been disallowed for offside.None of that changed the result.Al-Ittihad had the three points, Al-Nassr were suffering their first defeat of the season and Ronaldo had failed to turn his brazen attempt to discover the opposition’s tactics into something tangible.At least he managed to get a few laughs out of Danilo.Al-Ittihad, however, made sure that they had the last word.