The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was in action for Al-Nassr against Al-Raed on Saturday. He was among the goals in that contest – with the finishing touches put to a convincing 3-1 win – but his radar was slightly off when lining up a set-piece from the edge of the box.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
With the ball placed just 19 yards from goal, and very central, Ronaldo opted to go for power when standing over a dangerous free-kick. He whipped his effort around the wall, but also sent it fizzing past the post. The camera operator working behind said goal was unable to move out of the way in time and took a fiercely-struck shot full in the face.
The cameraman in question was almost knocked off his feet by Ronaldo’s wayward strike, but steadied himself in time before tumbling onto the running track on which he was working. Ronaldo delivered the image that everyone was after in the 78th minute when he added to earlier efforts from Sadio Mane and Talisca.
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WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Ronaldo has now scored 13 goals in just 12 games for Al-Nassr this season. He has netted plenty of spectacular free-kicks down the years, but his strike rate from dead-ball situations is surprisingly poor for a player of his record-breaking ability.