Cristiano Ronaldo Appeals to Referee to Reverse Penalty Decision Awarded to Him in Asian Champions League Match

During Al-Nassr's Asian Champions League game against Persepolis, Cristiano Ronaldo demonstrated exceptional sportsmanship by asking the referee to overturn a penalty that had been awarded in his favor. This act of fairness occurred in the second minute of Monday's match, when Ronaldo was fouled in the box, leading referee Ma Ning to initially award a penalty to the home side.

The Portuguese star contested the decision with the referee, insisting that it should be reversed. Subsequently, Ma went to the pitch-side monitor and overturned the decision. The game ended in a 0-0 draw after Al-Nassr's Ali Lajami received a red card in the first half for a late challenge on Milad Sarlak.

Ronaldo looks for a way through the Persepolis defense.

Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images

From then on, the Iranian side looked the more likely to find a winner in Riyadh, ending the game with 12 shots to Al-Nassrs six.

Early in the second half, Ronaldo missed an opportunity to increase his tally of three Asian Champions League goals this season when his shot narrowly missed the post. Nonetheless, Al-Nassr's draw secured their spot in the knockout stages of the competition, as the Saudi Arabian team emerged victorious in all four of their initial games.

Persepolis, meanwhile, will be hoping to finish as one of the best runners-up in order to qualify for the knockouts.