Cristiano Ronaldo at centre of major Saudi Super Cup controversy as fans left stunned
Cristiano Ronaldo was involved in a hugely controversial VAR moment as Al Nassr beat Al Ittihad in the Saudi Super Cup.
Al Nassr secured their spot in the Saudi Super Cup final following their 2-1 victory over Al Ittihad on Tuesday.
Ex-Liverpool star Sadio Mane opened the scoring before being shown a red card.
Former Tottenham winger Steven Bergwijn levelled proceedings before Ronaldo and Joao Felix, who joined Al Nassr from Chelsea this summer, combined to score their side's winner.
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But Al Nassr's winning goal came in controversial fashion following a contentious VAR call.
Mohamed Simakan played a through ball to Ronaldo, who latched onto it before unselfishly squaring a pass to Felix, who tapped home into an empty net.
The linesman raised his flag, ruling out the goal before VAR intervened.
🚨 CRISTIANO RONALDO ASSISTS JOAO FELIX!
— TC (@totalcristiano) August 19, 2025
pic.twitter.com/7oHcgh6xq2
However, VAR ruled Ronaldo was not offside and allowed the goal to stand even though the Manchester United and Real Madrid legend appeared to be in an offside position.
Fans on social media certainly thought so as they made their feelings known.
One X user wrote: "Defence? Offside? What is this league."
A second said: "Referee called it offside immediately but VAR intervened as Ronaldo was involved in it and gave Al Nassr a free goal."
A third added: "Ronaldo was offside lmao this guy again."
Ronaldo will look to take full advantage of the controversial VAR decision by leading Al Nassr to glory in the Saudi Super Cup.
The 40-year-old took to social media to celebrate his team's victory. He shared an image of himself celebrating, with the caption: "LET'S GO."
Al Nassr manager Jorge Jesus, who was appointed this summer, will be looking to win his first trophy since landing the job.
Speaking before Tuesday's win, he said Ronaldo was a 'big incentive' to join the club.
"Cristiano being on board was a big incentive for me to accept this challenge; this is a new life with the Al-Nassr team, and we are mobilising everything for this season," he explained.
"This competition is really difficult; I’ve been working to communicate my ideas.
"My ambitions require a lot of work. I’ve won everything in Saudi Arabia and I’ve told the players they need to focus on winning trophies."
Al Nassr face either Al Qadisiyah or Al Ahli Saudi in Saturday's final.
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Al Nassr, Football, Fan Reactions
Nasir Jabbar