Cristiano Ronaldo's Asian Champions League Match Impacted After Missile Attack In Riyadh

Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr saw their Asian Champions League match against Neftchi Fergana delayed by an hour on Monday after the Saudi-led military coalition said it had intercepted a missile fired by the Houthis towards Riyadh. Saudi Arabia has recently come under a series of attacks from the Iran-backed group, including strikes on oil facilities, tankers and transport hubs -- including a string of lethal hits on Riyadh's international airport. There was a sparse crowd in the stands of Al-Awal Park for the game which was scheduled for 9:15 pm local time (1815 GMT). 

The stadium announcer said the situation was safe, that the match would be played, and asked spectators to remain in their seats.

However, the television channel broadcasting the match announced a one-hour delay.

Shortly before, AFP correspondents reported hearing explosions in Riyadh. 

At the same time, Riyadh residents received an alert on their phones stating: "The region is exposed to a hostile aerial threat. Please remain calm and stay at home or in a safe place, away from windows and doors, and continue to follow civil defense instructions."

Subsequently, the coalition announced the "interception and destruction" of a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis, in a statement on X.

This incident did not seem to upset Ronaldo, who scored the 981st goal of his career just before halftime, as the Saudi champions secured a 3-1 win.

Earlier, the Portuguese Football Federation suspended Cristiano Ronaldo for walking out on the team and initiated disciplinary proceedings.

The case has been referred to its disciplinary investigation committee and its findings will remain confidential until its conclusions are reached, the federation said in a statement Saturday.

The 41-year-old Ronaldo left the Portugal camp during the international window in a dispute with new coach Jorge Jesus over his lack of playing time in the Nations League.

In the three games Ronaldo was either an unused substitute or absent, Portugal won, and his replacement Gonçalo Ramos seized his chance by scoring three goals.

Ronaldo was involved only in Portugal's opening Nations League game, where he was replaced by Ramos in a 1-0 win over Wales. He left the squad after watching the second game from the substitutes' bench — a 2-1 win in Norway — and Portugal showed no ill effects from his departure with wins over Denmark and Norway to book a quarterfinal.

Ronaldo ended the international break with a long post to his 679 million followers on Instagram, where he asked the Portugal coach to acknowledge a mistake in asking him to warm up on the sidelines in Oslo and then not send him on the field. Jesus did not acknowledge any mistake.

The star wrote that he expected a suspension under federation rules but promised his fans “we will have one or more farewell matches.”

Ronaldo could possibly face a harsh punishment for leaving the training camp. The federation's disciplinary regulations say that any player who “abandons or fails to appear” without justification at a training session, match or activity of the national teams “shall be sanctioned with a suspension of one to six months,” in addition to a fine.

Ronaldo did tell the federation he was leaving, but it wasn't clear whether the decision would be considered justified in accordance with the regulations.

“I have already apologized, but I know that actions must have consequences," Ronaldo wrote in his statement. “Anyone in football as I am knows that, regardless of each person's status, the rules are the same for everyone.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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