Chaotic derby in Saudi Arabia: CR7 wins but falls out with ex-Juve teammate and good friend

The build-up to the derby started 20 days ago, following Al-Ahli's draw against Al Fayha, and was full of tension.

Fuming with the officiating, several players of the Jeddah club openly spoke about the referee's mistakes and the fact that Al-Nassr, and more importantly, Cristiano Ronaldo, were being favored in the title race.

Ivan Toney revealed that the ref told him to focus on the AFC Champions League - which his team eventually won - instead of the Saudi Pro League, while the former Porto forward Galeno stated that "they want to hand the trophy to one person", referring, of course, to CR7.

Since Cristiano's strike at the beginning of February, caused by his club's lack of activity in the January Transfer Window and the fact that its biggest rivals are strengthening their squads, tables have significantly turned for Al-Nassr.

When CR7 protests, entire Saudi Arabia stops! Ronaldo blocks transfers of Benzema, En-Nesyri & Kante

The Global One has been on a 15-game winning run in the league and hasn't lost a match since January 12. Whether Ronaldo's boycott affected their results and the referees, who might have helped Al-Nassr, it's hard to say.

However, what's certain is that the Riyadh side earned a significant advantage in the Saudi Pro League standings, and yesterday it probably took the most crucial step towards the title, beating Al-Ahli in a derby 2-0 for the 16th victory in a row.

Cristiano and Kingsley Coman's goals in the final quarter of an hour "killed" the visitors and paved the way for the Portuguese to finally break the curse and win a trophy with Al-Nassr, but the aftermath of the clash was more intriguing than the match itself.

Frustrated by the "support" CR7 and Co. reportedly have, and by Coman's dying-minutes tackle, which went unpunished by the ref, the Al-Ahli defender and Ronaldo's ex-Juventus teammate Merih Demiral paraded his AFC Champions League medal (which the Royal One won last Saturday) in front of Al-Nassr fans, mocking them, while the situation almost escalated when he charged towards the Frenchman and Cristiano, looking for a physical altercation.

To make matters worse, during their time in Turin, Ronaldo and Demiral were very good friends, as the centre-back was even considered one of the Portuguese's closest mates!

Still, the drama didn't end on the pitch...

After the game, the Turk posted on social media a photo of himself showing off a medal, followed by the caption:, "For the first time, there’s a Champions League medal in their stadium."

On the other hand, the Al-Ahli fans tried to provoke Ronaldo during his post-match interview, telling him they had two AFC Champions League trophies, to which the 41-year-old responded by showing five fingers that symbolize UCL titles, and uttering "I have five!"

With four rounds to go, Al-Nassr top the Saudi Pro League table with an eight-point advantage over Al Hilal and a 13-point edge over Al-Ahli, though the latter two teams have a game in hand.

Either way, the end of Ronaldo's struggles in Saudi Arabia seems imminent, but the stir the title race caused will undoubtedly last.