In spite of the fact that Mane had missed seven matches in a row and had been awarded a penalty in the encounter against Al Ettifaq, Ronaldo was the one who ended up taking the penalty.

A goal is celebrated by Mane and Ronaldo together.

A goal is celebrated by Mane and Ronaldo together.

The defender for Al Ettifaq was unable to keep up with Sadio Mane in the 73rd minute, and as a result, he used his hand to prevent the ball that was about to enter the penalty area. It was not necessary for the referee to consult the video assistant referee in order to award a penalty to Al Nassr.

Initially, Mane was in possession of the ball and went to speak with Ronaldo. All of the fans were under the impression that he would take the penalty kick in order to break a string of seven unsuccessful matches across all competitions. However, Cristiano Ronaldo, the captain, continues to be the one who takes penalties. It was a brilliant move on the part of CR7 to bring the deficit for Al Nassr to three goals.

According to reports, Mane surrendered the penalty in order to allow Ronaldo to continue his pursuit of the scoring record in 2023. One piece of evidence is that Mane was the first to run to celebrate when the senior Portuguese player scored. Ronaldo conveyed his gratitude to his colleague who was born in the year 1992.

Despite this, Ronaldo continues to be subjected to a barrage of vitriol on social networks. “What a shame,” an admirer remarked in their criticism. It was the second individual who made the observation that “Mane is the one who needs a goal more.” “Ronaldo always says he doesn’t need personal achievements, but the truth is completely opposite,” according to a third enthusiast.

Because of the penalty that Mane was awarded, Ronaldo has scored 51 goals in 2023. This is only two goals less than his teammates Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe, who each have scored exactly one goal. Ronaldo still has two matches remaining to play against his opponents.

With his goal against Al Ettifaq, Ronaldo created an impressive milestone, contributing to 501 goals at the age of 30. This level of accomplishment is even higher than the careers of many former famous players, such as Ronaldinho (366 goals/assists), Didier Drogba (429 goals/assists), Wayne Rooney (483 goals/assists), and many others.

While Al Nassr defeated Al Ettifaq by a score of 3-1, the distance between them and Al Hilal was reduced to 10 points. It is still possible for Ronaldo and his colleagues to win one more match.