The opposing coach angrily criticized the referee for taking care of Ronaldo, and many stars also took advantage of it

In the early morning of November 2, in a focus match of the seventh round of the Saudi Professional League, Riyadh Victory relied on a controversial stoppage time penalty to defeat Al Fah 2-1. When the game entered the 90th and 14th minutes and the score was still 1-1, the referee on duty awarded a penalty kick after watching VAR because Alfeha player Mikel Villanueva had a handball during the aerial challenge.

However, the slow-motion replay clearly showed that the ball actually only hit the visiting team player's head, his arm did not actively touch the ball, and there was no suspicion of foul play during the entire action. This penalty immediately caused an uproar in the audience. Alfeha players surrounded the referee to protest fiercely, but the referee still insisted on the original decision.

At the critical moment, captain Cristiano Ronaldo hit the penalty kick and completed the buzzer-beating victory, helping Riyadh win a thrilling three-pointer.

After the game, Alfeha coach Pedro Emmanuel was furious: "If 34 rounds of games were played this season, it ended up being arranged in advance to please Cristiano Ronaldo. What's the point? Everything that happened today is not beneficial to the healthy development of the Saudi league!"

This "ghost penalty" quickly caused an uproar on social media. Many stars, including Ruben Neves (Riyadh Crescent) and Mahrez (Jeddah National), publicly ridiculed this penalty, suggesting that there was unfairness in the Saudi league, and even "protecting" Ronaldo and Riyadh's victory.

Some fans question that the Saudi league is systematically favoring Riyadh's victory. On the one hand, it is to help the team end its "championship drought" as soon as possible, and on the other hand, it is to help Ronaldo reach the "thousand-goal milestone" of his career as soon as possible. Of course, there is no basis for this speculation.

Referee expert Risa said in the post-match analysis: "The referee's penalty was correct. He made the decision after being reminded by the VAR team and reviewing the video. According to the TV footage, Feha's defensive players clearly extended their arms in the air and deliberately touched the ball with their arms. This is an 'intentional handball,' so the penalty kick is reasonable."