Cristiano Ronaldo’s night to forget: Star, 41, misses huge chance AND a penalty in Al-Nassr win, hours after being attacked by Erik ten Hag for ‘letting down’ Man United

DAILYMAIL.COM • 1h ago

By WILL PICKWORTH, SPORTS REPORTER 23:39 20 Oct 2026, updated 23:59 20 Oct 2026

Cristiano Ronaldo endured a nightmare evening as he missed a penalty and squandered another huge chance for Al-Nassr.

Ronaldo’s misery started in first-half stoppage time when he failed to hit the target with a spot kick after Joao Felix was brought down inside the box, much to the shock of those in the stadium.

Ronaldo, 41, went even closer in the second half when he was teed up for an open goal by Sadio Mane just yards out, but he inexplicably volleyed the ball over the bar.

The 41-year-old cut a frustrated figure after that as he threw his hands up in the air and looked to the sky in exasperation, before he bowed his head to the ground.

Thankfully for the global superstar, his side still won the match, beating Neom 1-0 after Felix’s second-half strike.

The victory left Al-Nassr in third place in the Saudi Pro League, three points behind table-toppers Al-Qadsiah having played a game fewer.

HOLT: Man City facing HUGE points deduction that guarantees relegation30.9K viewing now Cristiano Ronaldo endured a night to forget as Al-Nassr held on for a 1-0 victory over NeomRonaldo’s difficult evening capped a tricky day for the Portuguese forward after former Man United boss Erik ten Hag hit out at his attitude in a wide-ranging interview with The Athletic.

Reflecting on his time at Old Trafford, the Dutchman accused Ronaldo of letting United down by failing to prepare himself for matches, with the former Red Devils boss claiming the forward pulled out of training sessions and encouraged team-mates to ‘save their legs’.

Ronaldo left Man United by mutual consent in November 2022 after a bombshell interview with Piers Morgan, in which he claimed he had been ‘betrayed’ by Ten Hag.

Ten Hag claimed Ronaldo did not get himself to the ‘right fitness levels’ after withdrawing from training sessions and failed to get his heart rate raised to the required level when he did train.

‘He let the team down, and he let me down, because we planned with him,’ Ten Hag said. ‘Obviously, he’s one of the best in football history. I respected him a lot. But at that time, as a manager, I had to make a rational decision and keep the players I admire in.

‘Many times I say, “Ronnie, everyone wants to work for you to bring you in the right position, but if you can’t bring yourself in the box, you can’t score”.

‘He was not capable to do this. It’s the wrong idea to put this to me that I expected him to do the pressing, that he’s exhausted. But he couldn’t. He ran neither in possession nor out of possession. The reason was because he didn’t prepare himself.’

Ten Hag continued: ‘Every top team has to embrace the top player, but the top player has to work for the team.

‘He was telling the players, “Save your legs at the training”. I understand it when you are top fit; you have sessions, you can save the legs. But first you have to train yourself to get into the right fitness levels.’

Meanwhile, on Monday, Ronaldo received a strangely light punishment by Portugal despite walking out on their camp during the recent international break.

The forward was provisionally suspended by the country’s FA after leaving the squad following a dispute with head coach Jorge Jesus.

Ronaldo had claimed Jesus broke promises when he was kept on the bench for their game against Norway.

Despite his misdemeanour, the Portuguese FA announced that he has been fined just £215 and is free to play again in next month’s international break.

The superstar, 41, has technically been banned for a month by Portuguese football chiefs – but that punishment is backdated to his strop on September 30, reports in his homeland claim.

That means his ban will be served by the time Portugal’s next fixture against Denmark rolls around on November 14.

Meanwhile, his piddling fine of £215 will take the billionaire approximately 38 seconds to recoup on his £488,000-per-day salary at Al-Nassr.

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