Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Nassr were undone by Odion Ighalo's Al Hilal as the Portuguese legend grabbed the headlines for a wrestling-style tackle that earned him a booking.
Defeat has seen Al-Nassr give up vital ground in the Saudi title race with Ighalo notching a penalty in each half to secure a surprise victory. Ronaldo had a night to forget as he was shown a yellow card by English referee Michael Oliver whilst he also had a goal disallowed.
The former Real Madrid man's challenge, which earned him a booking, had a whiff of wrestling about it with his sole incentive seemingly to halt the play. With the ball bouncing Gustavo Cuéllar attempted to shield the ball, only for Ronaldo to grab him round the neck from behind before dropping him to the ground.
Some felt a yellow was light due to the nature of the tackle, but it didn't change the course of the match with Al Hilal already leading 1-0 as frustration clearly mounted. Ronaldo also saw a penalty awarded, which was given as a result of a hand ball from his free-kick, before it was overturned by VAR.
It means his season could well end without a trophy for the second year on the bounce. Ronaldo quit Manchester United in the summer and, whilst Al-Nassr are competitive, they look set to miss out on any silverware this term.
Ighalo, meanwhile, has been prolific in the Middle East, which is where he moved to once his spell at Old Trafford ended. The former Watford man was signed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2020 as the club sought a short-term solution to their forward problems.
The Nigerian had enjoyed a purple patch with the Hornets and started impressively in Manchester, scoring early on in the cup competitions. However, he would fail to notch in the Premier League and eventually left the club after scoring five times in 23 outings - despite them paying a huge loan fee.
Already this term he's hit the back of the net 25 times and has told ESPN about his experience as a Red Devil: "In years to come, you need something to show your children... I have been talking to my children about Manchester United, the experience. I left Old Trafford with pride, with my head up, because it was my dream team and not everybody's dream comes to pass. Mine came to pass so every day of my life, I'm grateful.
"To be the first Nigerian to play there and so far the only Nigerian, those are great achievements for me and I did well so I'm happy for that."
