Cristiano Ronaldo has last laugh after Al Ahli player sparks furious brawl with medal brag

It will take a little more than two Asian Champions League titles to get under Cristiano Ronaldo’s skin.

The football legend delivered a big moment on Wednesday to put Al Nassr in the driving seat for the Saudi Pro League title.

AFP

Ronaldo broke the deadlock in a high-stakes game against third-place Al Ahli before Kingsley Coman ensured a 2-0 victory in the dying moments.

In what was his 970th career goal, Ronaldo brilliantly diverted a Joao Felix corner from the left with his head in the 76th minute to spark jubilant celebrations in Riyadh.

It puts Al Nassr eight points clear of Al Hilal, who have a game in hand, meaning Ronaldo’s side only need eight points from their remaining four matches to guarantee his first title at the club.

However, the occasion was marred by what happened immediately afterwards.

Al Ahli defender Merih Demiral was at the centre of chaotic post-match scenes involving almost every player and staff member from both teams.

He was incensed that Coman was not sent off for an awful tackle in the last minute of the game and had to be held back from the Frenchman after the final whistle.

As tensions continued to rise, Demiral then paraded his Asian Champions League medal in front of the home fans.

The Saudi side recently beat Japanese club FC Machida Zelvia to defend their crown on the continent.

Demiral’s behaviour sparked a mass brawl between the two sets of players and staff.

However, when the Asian Champions League jibes were put to Ronaldo, the 41-year-old would have the last laugh.

In a post-match interview, the iconic striker can be seen responding to somebody behind the camera.

“I have five,” he said with a smile, referring to his quintet of Champions League successes in Europe with Manchester United and Real Madrid.

Demiral rages

The former Juventus man continued his rampage long after the fracas on the pitch cooled down.

He then suggested to journalists that Saudi Pro League officials are trying to help Al Nassr win the league, pointing to cuts and bruises from the reckless Coman tackle.

It is not the first time an Al Ahli player has forwarded this conspiracy theory.

Earlier this month, Ivan Toney took to Instagram highlighting a number of decisions that he felt went against his side.

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After claiming that an official ‘told him to focus on the Asian Champions League’ instead of the domestic title, Toney said: “It’s actually crazy how you can miss things like this in crucial moments or chose to turn a blind eye.

“It’s clear what is being influenced here.”

His teammate Galeno went one step further and made no attempt to sugarcoat his feelings about Al Nassr’s romp towards the title.

He wrote on social media: “Hand over the trophy, that’s what they want, they want to knock us out of the Championship by any means necessary, they want to hand the trophy to one person, a total lack of respect for our club.”