A rival Saudi Arabian crowd yet again tried to get under Cristiano Ronaldo’s skin by chanting the name of longtime rival Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo was in action for Al Nassr as they beat Saudi Pro League strugglers Al Raed 2-1.
Al Raed went into the contest hopeful of avoiding a seventh-straight defeat against Al Nassr but those hopes took a major blow in the 35th minute when Ronaldo opened the scoring.
A well-worked free-kick routine from Al Nassr caught their rivals off-guard as Ronaldo timed his run to perfection to prod home Marcelo Brozovic’s teasing delivery.
The Portuguese superstar’s goal was his 15th in the Saudi Pro League as he looked to put further daylight between him and former Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema in the golden boot race, with the latter on 13 goals.
Down a goal, Al Raed’s supporters decided they would be a little cheeky as chants of Messi echoed around the stadium.
It was evident Ronaldo heard the fans loud and clear as he began gesturing for them to make even more noise for his rival.
Ronaldo even cupped his ears to taunt the crowd even more.
It appeared the chants spurred Ronaldo on as he became the provider for Al Nassr’s second.
High on the left side of the pitch, the 39-year-old slipped in Nawaf Boushal behind Al Raed’s backline and he produced an unerring finish to put the visitors two goals to the good early in the second half.
The latest incident is not the first time Ronaldo has dealt with rival supporters chanting Messi’s name.
Less than two weeks ago, the Portuguese international was subjected to those taunts during Al Nassr’s 1-1 draw against Al Taawoun.
@TimelineCR7 on XRonaldo cupped his ear as rival fans chanted Messi’s name[/caption]
However, fans hoping to poke the bear failed as Ronaldo flashed a smile and gave a thumbs-up in the direction of the supporters.
Luckily for Ronaldo, he avoided a similar result against Al Raed despite Amir Sayoud sparking fears of a comeback for the Saudi strugglers.
Sayoud’s goal in the 76th minute led to a nervy finish but an equaliser was not forthcoming as Al Nassr held on for a vital three points.
The win kept Al Nassr in third on 38 points, five behind Al Hilal and Al Ittihad who sit first and second respectively.
However, that gap could become eight as the top two sides boast a game in hand.
But Ronaldo and Al Nassr appear poised to receive a major boost in their title bid as they look poised to complete the signing of Jhon Duran from Aston Villa.
The 21-year-old underwent a medical in London on Thursday ahead of a €77million (£64.5m) move, which could rise to €90m (£75m) with potential add-ons.
It is a major coup for Al Nassr given Duran is regarded as one of the hottest young prospects in football thanks to his 12 goals from 29 appearances across all competitions this season for Villa.