Cristiano Ronaldo and Jordan Henderson involved in a heated row at full-time in Saudi Arabia after former Liverpool captain escaped red card in bad-tempered cup game – ex-Man United forward lost his cool with fans

• Henderson’s Al-Ettifaq had just lost to Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr in a tense cup clash
• Ronaldo angrily remonstrated with the ex-Liverpool captain at full-time
• Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast ‘It’s All Kicking Off!’ 

A furious Cristiano Ronaldo and Jordan Henderson were involved in a heated dispute following an ill-tempered King Cup clash between Al-Nassr and Al-Ettifaq on Tuesday.

Footage from full-time shows Ronaldo exchanging angry words with Henderson after Al-Nassr had claimed a contentious 1-0 win after extra time thanks to Sadio Mane’s winner.

A clearly animated Ronaldo gestured towards the England international on multiple occasions in the fiery conversation on the pitch at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh.

The discussion between the ex-Man United star and former Liverpool captain then continued as they walked off the field together, with Ronaldo seen throwing his arms in the air and shaking his head.

Henderson appears to be trying to calm down the agitated Portuguese star as they head towards their respective dressing rooms. 

Cristiano Ronaldo and Jordan Henderson were spotted in a furious exchange at full-time

An animated Ronaldo was clearly unhappy with Henderson after Al-Nassr beat Al-Ettifaq 1-0

Ex-Liverpool star Henderson appeared to be trying to calm an incensed Ronaldo

Your browser does not support iframes.

Henderson, who left Liverpool to join Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq in a shock move in the summer, had incited a brawl during his team’s 1-0 defeat as he escaped a red card despite shoving Al-Nassr’s Otavio to the ground twice.

Following a trip on Al-Nassr forward Otavio by Al-Ettifaq midfielder Ali Hazazi, Henderson forcefully backed up his team-mate and twice pushed the Portuguese international to the ground. 

Al-Nassr players, including Ronaldo, were incensed by the altercation as both sets of players came together in the closing stages of an ill-tempered tie. 

But the 33-year-old Henderson escaped a red card despite his central role in the scuffle, while Hazazi was dismissed by the referee. 

Ronaldo also bizarrely demanded a referee be substituted during the quarter-final clash.

He had been angered by the performance of the referee in the closing stages of the first half.

His team-mate Anderson Talisca appeared to have given Al-Nassr the lead in stoppage time as he turned in a cross at the back post.

Talisca’s effort was initially awarded by Chilean referee Piero Maza but was chalked off following a VAR review after Ronaldo was adjudged to have been offside and interfering with play.

Henderson escaped a red card despite shoving Al-Nassr forward Otavio twice, which annoyed Ronaldo

The fiery King Cup contest was the first on-pitch meeting between Ronaldo and Henderson in Saudi Arabia

Ronaldo signalled to the bench for a substitution before pointing directly at the referee.

Moments later, Maza booked Talisca after the Al-Nassr player caught an opponent with his left arm.

Another VAR review led to the yellow card being upgraded to a red as Talisca was deemed to have struck out with his arm.

The cup game was the first meeting between Ronaldo and Henderson in Saudi Arabia. 

Henderson, who reportedly pockets £700,000-a-week after his stunning £12m switch from Anfield, made his full debut against Al-Nassr but Ronaldo missed the clash in August through injury.

IT’S ALL KICKING OFF! 

It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football.

It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify.

Your browser does not support iframes.

Source: Read Full Article