Cristiano Ronaldo endured stomach pains during Al Nassr‘s 1-0 league victory over Al Ettifaq on Wednesday night.
The Portugal captain, replaced in injury time, felt so bad that he vomited in the dressing room.
“I was thinking of not including him; he wasn’t in good shape,” Jorge Jesus said of Ronaldo after the game.
“He was suffering from stomach pains and a general feeling of fatigue and, when I substituted him, he went straight to the dressing room and threw up.”
Ronaldo, 41, did not score but contributed to Al Nassr’s goal. His long-range effort just after the half hour was kept out by Al Ettifaq goalkeeper Marek Rodák but Kingsley Coman pounced on the rebound to grab the only goal of the game.
Ronaldo also hit the post and had an effort cleared off the line. Wednesday’s win, a club record-extending 15th in the Saudi Pro League, kept Al Nassr firmly in contention for a first league title since the 2018-19 campaign.
Al Nassr are eight points clear of nearest rivals Al Hilal, who have a game in hand.
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“+3. Great energy from the stand,” Ronaldo wrote on social media after the game.
Ronaldo has 24 league goals and is third in the Saudi Pro League scorers’ table, three behind English forward Ivan Toney of Al Ahli.
The Portugal star has finished as the top scorer in the Saudi Pro League the last two seasons.
