Al-Nassr, owned by Cristiano Ronaldo, was fined for being late for the second half of their league match against Al-Taawoun on December 30.
Faris Najd triumphed 4-1 courtesy of foreign export goals. The hosts took the lead in the 13th minute at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium.
But Marcelo Brozovic and Aymeric Laporte put Al-Nassr up 2-1 before the break.
The visitors appeared to take additional time exiting the tunnel for the second half, for which they have already been punished.
The Disciplinary Committee penalized Al-Nassr 19,000 riyal ($5,066) for their actions, according to local news site SSC Sports.
The obvious extra pep talk inside the locker room appeared to have worked.
They came out and scored two more goals without answering, with goals from Otavia (50′) and Cristiano Ronaldo (90+2′) securing the victory.
With his strike, Ronaldo finished the year with 54 goals for club and country across all competitions. In terms of goals, no player in the world had a stronger season in 2023.
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How is Cristiano Ronaldo’s season at Al-Nassr going?
This season, Cristiano Ronaldo has been relentless in terms of goal contributions.
The 38-year-old great has shown no signs of slowing down, scoring 24 goals and assisting 11 times in 25 outings across all competitions.
Twenty of his 24 goals have come in the Saudi Pro League, where he scores once every 81 minutes.
He has one goal or one assist in 15 of his 18 league games this season, and he also leads the Golden Boot race.
Al-Nassr will return to competitive action on February 12 against Al Feiha in the opening leg of the AFC Champions League Round of 16.
Before that, a mouth-watering friendly against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami awaits on 1 February at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.
Ronaldo was instrumental in Al-Nassr reaching the AFC Champions League knockout stages.
His squad finished the campaign unblemished, winning four games and drawing two, with ‘CR7’ scoring three times and assisting once in four outings.
Al Nasser’s response was fast and decisive. In the 26th minute, Marcelo Brozovic equalized for the visitors with a spectacular 30-yard rocket
Al Nassr extended their advantage in the second half, with Otavio tapping home after Al Taawoun made a defensive blunder.
Ronaldo came close to adding his name to the scoresheet in the 71st minute, hitting the crossbar with a tremendous shot.
Al Nassr goalie Alaqidi preserved his team’s advantage in the 81st minute with a spectacular stop from Mateus Castro.
And, as the clock approached injury time, the moment everyone had been waiting for came.
Cristiano Ronaldo, with help from Foussena Fofana, soared high to meet a cross with a bullet header, throwing the away fans into a frenzy.
It was a storybook finale for Ronaldo, who scored his 54th goal of the calendar year to cap up an incredible 2023.
Al Nassr completed the first half of the season in second place, trailing league leaders Al Hilal by seven points.
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