In the second leg of the AFC Champions League 1 8 finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in the early morning of the 22nd, Beijing time, Riyadh Victory defeated the Fayha team, also from Saudi Arabia, 2-0, thus eliminating the opponent with a total score of 3-0 in two legs and entering the top 8. As the referee of the Asian Cup final, Chinese international referee Ma Ning officiated the game and showed yellow cards to nine people, including the home team's star Cristiano Ronaldo. However, judging from the game footage, there is no problem with Ma Ning's penalty. After officiating the game, Ma Ning will return to China to adjust, and then participate in the 2026 World Cup candidate referee training course to be held in Doha, Qatar from February 26 to 29 local time.
The Riyadh Victory vs Faha match has attracted attention from all walks of life mainly because Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo is playing for Riyadh Victory. Every step they take in the AFC Champions League means that Ronaldo has once again set a new record for participating in official competitions. Prior to this game, Cristiano Ronaldo had scored in six consecutive games in all competitions.
In the first leg between the two sides a week ago, Riyadh Victory won 1-0 away to Fajha thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo's goal. The second leg also attracted attention, one of the important reasons being that the match was officiated by a whole group of Chinese referees. Among them, Ma Ning is the main whistle, which also shows that the AFC attaches great importance to the enforcement of the AFC Champions League. Counting this game, Ma Ning has been in charge of Ronaldo's team twice in the AFC Champions League.
Ma Ning showed a total of 9 yellow cards in the whole game, including 4 for the home team and 5 for the away team. It is worth noting that in the first minute of stoppage time in the first half of the game, Ronaldo stepped sideways on the foot of the opposing player Calaf in the process of counter-stealing the ball, and was shown a yellow card warning by Manin. The decision drew the ire of some members of the home team, including their manager, Fidel Castro. But Manin, who has always been known for his strict enforcement, was unceremonious about his dissatisfaction with his decision, first showing Castro a yellow card, then raising his left hand and urging him to return to the allotted area as soon as possible.
After the game, the 6-member Chinese referee team set off on the 22nd to return to China en masse. After returning to China, Ma Ning will take a day off before heading to Doha, Qatar, to attend a training course for referee candidates for the 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted by the FIFA Referees Committee. As a result, Ma Ning missed the enforcement of the Super Cup. As for whether he can catch up with the law enforcement of the opening game of the Chinese Super League, there is no definite statement.
Text: Beijing Youth Daily reporter Xiao Yun.
Edited by Wang Haozhou.