Former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo asks referee to overturn penalty he won

Former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo convinced referee Ma Ning not to award him a penalty during Al-Nassr's goalless draw with Iranian side Persepolis on Monday evening.

Ronaldo, who joined the Saudi Arabian club almost a year ago, went down inside the penalty area just two minutes into the Asian Champions League encounter, resulting in Ning pointing to the penalty spot, presenting Al-Nassr with a golden chance to take an early lead. However, in an act of incredible honesty, Ronaldo urged Ning to overturn the decision.

The Chinese referee went over to the pitchside monitor to review the incident and ultimately changed his call, rescinding the penalty. It turned out to be a key moment in the contest, of course, as it proceeded to finish 0-0.

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A combination of Ronaldo's honesty and the video assistant referee (VAR) saved Persepolis, who played the bulk of the game with an extra man; Al-Nassr were reduced to 10 men when Ali Lajami was sent-off after just 17 minutes. Persepolis, though they failed to capitalise on their numerical advantage, did carry the greater threat, recording 12 shots in comparison to Al-Nassr's six.

The result did little to impact Al-Nassr's hopes of escaping the clutches of their Asian Champions League group, already finding themselves top of the pile ahead of the clash with Persepolis on 12 points from their first four games. They are now locked on 13 points at the summit, five ahead of Persepolis.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, was forced off with a neck injury with just over 10 minutes of normal time, sparking fears he could miss Friday's