Ronaldo was caught peeking at rival tactics before Al-Nassr suffered their first defeat of the season.
Cristiano Ronaldo has never been one to leave a competitive edge unexplored. But even by Ronaldo's standards, his latest attempt to gain an advantage was rather cheeky. The Al-Nassr captain was caught on camera appearing to sneak a look at Al-Ittihad defender Danilo's tactical instructions during Saturday's Saudi Pro League clash, producing one of the lighter moments in an otherwise fiercely contested night. Unfortunately for Ronaldo, the laughs did not last quite as long as the joke.
Ronaldo caught peeking at Al-Ittihad's tactics
The amusing incident unfolded during a tense spell when Danilo received a slip of paper containing tactical instructions from the Al-Ittihad bench. Ronaldo immediately positioned himself alongside the defender and appeared to take the opportunity to have a quick look at what was written on the note. Danilo soon noticed what his opponent was doing, turning towards Ronaldo as the two shared a smile. For a moment, the light-hearted exchange cut through the tension of a fiercely contested match. But Ronaldo's attempt at tactical espionage ultimately did little to help Al-Nassr. The Portuguese forward played the full 90 minutes, but could not find the goal that would have rescued his side from their first defeat of the season. His best effort was denied by Predrag Rajkovic, with the Al-Ittihad goalkeeper producing an outstanding second-half display to protect his team's advantage. And after the final whistle, Al-Ittihad appeared to have the last laugh. The Jeddah club posted a message on X aimed directly at their opponents, captioning it: “Cheating and still losing!” The post appeared to refer to Ronaldo's attempt to look at the written tactical instructions, adding an extra sting to what had already been a frustrating evening for the Al-Nassr captain.
Ilenikhena double ends Al-Nassr's perfect start
The result was a significant setback for Ange Postecoglou, whose honeymoon period at Al-Nassr came crashing down against an impressive Al-Ittihad side. Al-Ittihad needed only four minutes to take the lead. George Ilenikhena rose to head home from close range, immediately putting Al-Nassr under pressure. The striker thought he had doubled the advantage shortly afterwards when he raced through and found the net, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside. He did not have to wait long for another opportunity. In the 22nd minute, Ilenikhena collected a pass from Houssem Aouar before lifting a superb finish over the goalkeeper to make it 2-0. Al-Nassr responded before half-time. João Félix saw his effort saved by Rajkovic, but Angelo Gabriel reacted quickest to the rebound and reduced the deficit before the break. That proved to be Al-Nassr's only breakthrough. Rajkovic stood firm throughout the second half, denying Ronaldo and his teammates as Ittihad held on for a statement victory.
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The defeat leaves Al-Nassr three points behind league leaders Al-Hilal, while Al-Ittihad climbed to fourth place with 11 points. There was also controversy surrounding Al-Nassr's goal, with Al-Ittihad supporters arguing that Angelo's effort should have been ruled out for offside. None of it changed the outcome. Al-Ittihad had the three points, Al-Nassr had their first defeat of the season and Ronaldo had been unable to turn his cheeky attempt to uncover the opposition's tactics into anything tangible. At least he got a laugh out of Danilo. Al-Ittihad, however, made sure they got the final word.
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