Ronaldo waves Saudi flag scarf after missile alert delays Asian Champions League match in Riyadh
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Cristiano Ronaldo waved a shawl bearing the Saudi flag after Al-Nassr’s Asian Champions League victory on Monday, following a missile alert that delayed kick-off by an hour in Riyadh.
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Al-Nassr beat Uzbekistan’s Neftchi Fergana 3-1 within the AFC Champions League Elite at Al-Awwal Park.
Ronaldo draped the headband round his shoulders as he joined his teammates to applaud supporters. Before the sport, he had additionally kissed the Saudi nationwide emblem on his shirt.
Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence issued its warning about quarter-hour earlier than the scheduled begin. Players waited in dressing rooms whereas spectators remained seated.
The Saudi-led coalition preventing Yemen’s Houthis stated it intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile fired in direction of the capital. Civil Defence later introduced that the hazard had handed.
Al-Nassr later shared a quote on its Arabic X account from Ronaldo’s June 2025 interview with the membership: “I’m Portuguese, however I belong to Saudi Arabia.”
He made the feedback after extending his contract till 2027, having joined Al-Nassr in January 2023.
The 41-year-old’s objective within the forty second minute on Monday took his profession tally to 981, leaving him 19 in need of 1,000.
Angelo Gabriel had opened the scoring earlier than Alisher Odilov pulled one again for Neftchi within the second half. The guests later had a participant despatched off and conceded an personal objective.
The victory was Al-Nassr’s first of the marketing campaign after a 4-0 defeat by Al-Ain of their opening sport.
Deadly assaults on Riyadh airport
Houthi assaults on King Khalid International Airport killed 14 individuals over the weekend, in line with Saudi authorities. Thirteen died following Saturday’s strike, which injured greater than 300 individuals, and an additional assault on Sunday killed one individual and wounded 11.
The airport stays closed. Saudi officers advised the Associated Press, talking on situation of anonymity, that an investigation was analyzing how missiles and drones breached the dominion’s air defences.
Yemen has seen renewed preventing after 4 years of relative calm. Forces allied to its internationally recognised authorities launched a Saudi-backed offensive towards the Iran-aligned Houthis earlier this month.
Al-Ahli Saudi FC defender Merih Demiral additionally supplied condolences at a press convention on Sunday. The Turkey cross-border described Saudi Arabia as his second house.
“My ideas, prayers and coronary heart are with them,” he stated.
