Cristiano Ronaldo was left fuming after Al Nassr‘s marquee January signing Jhon Durán was sent off in the 3-2 defeat to Al Ettifaq on Friday.
Duran, who has scored four times since joining the Saudi Pro League team from Aston Villa for a reported £64 million ($80 million), appeared to give a light slap to the back of the head of Ettifaq midfielder Abdulelah Al-Malki during a pause in play in stoppage time at the end of the game.
Al-Malki promptly dropped to the floor and rolled on the ground, and the referee issued a red card despite the protests of teammate Ronaldo, who complained vociferously to the officials and booted the stationary ball into the stands in frustration.
The defeat ended a seven-game unbeaten streak for Al Nassr and left them eight points behind leaders Al Ittihad, who have a game in hand.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.