Last week, Al Nassr lost the Riyadh derby to Al Hilal 2-0.
After the game, the Blues' fans booed and teased Cristiano Ronaldo, singing "Messi, Messi, Messi" towards the Portuguese star, reminding him of his great rival from his days in European football.
CR7 then, according to eyewitnesses, made an "obscene gesture" that fueled a furious discussion in Saudi Arabia during Eid Al Fitr.
It was considered rude and inappropriate, and some have even called for Ronaldo to be banned from the country.
It’s been a challenging season for Al Nassr on the pitch too, as they trail behind leaders Ittihad Jeddah by three points, while the latter have a game in hand.
Ronaldo is furious, and after he pushed for the sacking of Rudi Garcia, things have gotten complicated at Riyadh's yellow side.
On Monday night Al Nassr played the King Cup semifinal against Al Wehda.
The club’s current nervous form continued, with Ronaldo missing a clear seater and the tiny Mecca club sensationally winning 1-0.
Until now, Ronaldo lost all his important games with the Nassrawys: Saudi Super Cup, Riyadh derby against Al Hilal, two matches against Al Ittihad that cost them the league’s leading spot and the cup semifinal.
Not an easy firsr season for Ronaldo in the kingdom.
Cristiano Ronaldo makes obscene gesture to Al-Hilal fans after leaving the field defeated and under the cries of "Messi, Messi, Messi" 😮
— VAR Tático (@vartatico) April 18, 2023
📽️ @wtrx5 pic.twitter.com/xnsyCsfPOQ
AFC Champions League final week
From Al Nassr to their city rivals, Al Hilal.
As mentioned at the top, the reigning champions got their 2-0 victory in the Riyadh derby, thanks to a brace of penalties from Odion Ighalo.
This victory came at an excellent time for Hilal.
A-Za'im hopes to win back-to-back Asian Champions League titles in their two-legged final against Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds.
The first leg will be held on Saturday evening in Riyadh, and the victory helped free Hilal from a bad run of results, when question marks around the team's ability to regain its form were starting to prevail.
On Sunday, Al Hilal played the Clásico Saudi against Al Ittihad in the Saudi King Cup semi-final.
Despite a festive atmosphere and a fantastic tifo by Al Ittihad's faithfuls, Al Hilal won 1-0 in extra time, due to an own goal by Itti's defensive rock Ahmed Hegazi.
After a shaky period, Al Hilal have finally regained their confidence, right in time for the Champions League final.
📸 راية #الهلال زرقااااء في جدة💙 pic.twitter.com/04qjHyBGqC
— نادي الهلال السعودي (@Alhilal_FC) April 23, 2023
U20 World Cup in Argentina draw keeps Israel and Iraq separate
On Friday, the U20 World Cup group stage draw took place.
After Indonesia was removed as host of the tournament, due to their objection to Israel's participation in the tournament, most eyes were focused on whether the Israelis would be drawn alongside another Muslim country, that sources had told BabaGol had asked not to be drawn against Israel.
This country is Iraq.
Eventually, Iraq got what they hoped for, and ended up in tricky Group E, alongside Uruguay, England and Tunisia - the final opponent representing an Arab derby in the group stage.
Israel also has a tough task in Group C, facing Senegal, Japan and Colombia.
The European runners-up will look to surprise the African champions, and two of the most talented teams in Asia and South America.
It will be interesting to see what will happen if Iraq and Israel accidentally qualify for the knock-outs, as both teams still have the chance to play one another.
Would Iraq withdraw from a World Cup knockout match in order not to show some normalisation of their relationship with Israel?
The tournament will take place between 20 May to 11 June in four stadiums: Estadio Unico Diego Armando Maradona in La Plata, Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades in Santiago del Estero, Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza and Estadio San Juan del Bicenetenario in San Juan.
🏆 The stage is set. Which nation will lift the FIFA #U20WC trophy?
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) April 21, 2023
Tehran Derby
The Tehran derby is always an essential fixture in Iranian football, and this time it wasn't any different.
On the one hand, Persepolis, the ‘bohemian’ club of the Iranian capital, and the more successful in recent years, and on the other hand Esteghlal, the club that was once Iran’s former ruler’s, the Shah’s, favourite.
Back then the club was known as Taj, and after the Islamic revolution changed its name to Esteghlal - or Independence - as the new regime tried to make it a symbol for contemporary Iran.
On Sunday afternoon, the two played each other in a vital derby clash in the Persian Gulf Pro League.
Persepolis won 1-0 thanks to a goal by the infamous Issa Al Kassir, who had received a months-long ban two years ago after a bizarre gesture in the AFC Champions League knockouts.
But despite Al Kassir's deciding goal, most of the action in the game took place off the pitch.
Before the game, fans were furious that tickets to the match were sold on the black market for as much as two million Iranian Rials (tomans).
Later, fans from both teams threw objects at each other from one stand to another, and if that's not enough, the second floor of the main stand's terrace at Azadi Stadium was evacuated during the game, as it was at risk of collapsing.
The result allowed Persepolis to regain first place, opening a two-point gap from their bitter city rivals.
Edited by Alex Smith
🇮🇷 #TehranDerby:
— Uri Levy (@Levyninho) April 23, 2023
Persepolis beat Esetghlal 1-0 at Azadi Stadium (Issa Al Kasir). Also today:
Tickets up to 2 million tomans on the black market
Fans threw objects between stands
Evacuation of the 2nd floor in the risk of collapse
Not a dull moment.pic.twitter.com/ghIIUK7fU4
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