Cristiano Ronaldo stormed down the tunnel after Al Nassr's hopes of winning the Saudi Pro League suffered a major setback when they were held to a goalless draw with 11th-placed Al Feiha on Sunday.
Rivals Al Ittihad opened a three-point gap over Al Nassr at the top of the table as they beat Al-Wehda 2-1. There are seven games left to play in this season's championship.
Al Nassr had 18 attempts on goal against Al Feiha and 38-year-old Ronaldo, who joined the club on a deal said to be worth more than $200 million a year, struck a shot straight at opposition keeper Vladimir Stojkovic in the 68th minute.
Ronaldo, who has scored 11 goals in 10 league games for Al Nassr, then fired twice over the bar in the space of six minutes. Brazilian Anderson Talisca, the league's top scorer, also had a frustrating outing.
Ronaldo looked furious as he left the pitch and removed his captain's armband and exchanged angry words with an opposition player.
Al Nassr coach Rudi Garcia said he was unhappy with both the performance and the result.
"The result is definitely bad and we are not happy," the French coach told the Saudi Sports Company.
"I don’t feel satisfied with the players' performance. I asked them to play at the same level as the last game (in the 5-0 victory against Al Adalah), but this didn’t happen."
Al Nassr, who last won the title in 2019, will play a crunch game next week against Al Hilal, the defending champions who sit fourth in the table, which may go a long way to deciding the race for the title.
"There are seven games left, we will try to recover, and we realise that it’s not easy after we lost two points, but everything is possible," said Garcia.
Al Feiha posted on Twitter an edited image of their captain Sami Al Khaibari sitting in front of Ronaldo at a chess table, reflecting a famous advertisement featuring rivals Lionel Messi and Cristiano.
The image captioned "checkmate", drew more than 1.9 million views.
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Al Nassr's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo gestures at the end of the Saudi Pro League football match against Al Feiha at Al Majmaah Stadium in the city of Al Majmaah on April 9, 2023. Nassr were held to a 0-0 draw, putting a dent in their title hopes. AFP -
Al Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo runs with the ball against Al Feiha. AFP -
Cristiano Ronaldo is marked by Al Feiha's Sami Al Khaibari. AFP -
Al Nassr's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo reacts to a missed chance. AFP -
Al Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo is marked by Al Feiha's Mohammed Al Baqawi. AFP -
Cristiano Ronaldo attempts a shot at goal. AFP -
Cristiano Ronaldo in action for Al Nassr. AFP -
Al Nassr's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo. AFP -
Nassr's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo (C) heads the ball during the Saudi Pro League football match between Al-Fayha and Al-Nassr at the al-Majmaah stadium in the city of al-Majmaah on April 9, 2023. (Photo by Abdulaziz ALNOMAN / AFP) -
Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo is marked by Al Feiha's Mukhair Al Rashidi. AFP -
Al Nassr's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo controls the ball. AFP -
Cristiano Ronaldo runs with the ball against Al Feiha. AFP -
Al Feiha's Serbian goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic gathers the ball ahead of Nassr's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo. AFP
