Refereeing expert Abdullah Al-Qahtani has settled the controversy over two disallowed Cristiano Ronaldo goals during Al-Nassr's 5-3 win over Al-Khaleej in the twelfth round of the Saudi Roshn Pro League. The match brimmed with excitement and goals, yet it was Ronaldo's disallowed brace that stole the spotlight before the Portuguese star eventually found the net.
Read also: An exceptional super: Felix equals Diaby and writes history in the Roshn League
At Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh, referee Khalid Al-Turais ruled out two Ronaldo efforts for offside. Both decisions drew objections from the Al-Nassr captain, who was desperate to get off the mark early, but a review of each incident confirmed the officials had got it right.
Speaking to Saudi network "Thmanyah", Al-Qahtani backed the decision to chalk off Ronaldo's first goal in the 11th minute. The semi-automated offside technology showed the player offside at the moment the attack was built, denying the Al-Nassr captain an early opener.
Four minutes into first-half stoppage time, the row flared again when a second Ronaldo goal went down for the same reason. The refereeing expert once more sided with Al-Turais, insisting the call followed the laws of the game. Ronaldo's first two attempts against Al-Khaleej counted for nothing.
The disallowed brace barely mattered. Al-Nassr settled the clash 5-3 to reach 28 points and climb to second, level with Al-Qadsiah, who have played one more game. Al-Hilal sit top with 27.
Al-Khaleej, by contrast, stayed stuck on 12 points and slipped to tenth. Al-Nassr marched on in the title race, surviving a fiery refereeing night with a five-goal attacking display despite the storm around Ronaldo's two ruled-out efforts.