Yemen’s Nasser Mohammedou channels Cristiano Ronaldo after Gulf Cup equaliser

Yemen forward Nasser Mohammedou celebrated his equaliser against Bahrain by copying Cristiano Ronaldo’s famous celebration during the Gulf Cup 27 encounter.

Bahrain had taken a 1-0 lead before Yemen responded with a well-organised attack in the 18th minute. A precise long pass found Mohammedou, wearing the number seven shirt, and he then produced an impressive piece of skill to evade Bahrain defender Hussein Abdulkarim.

Abdulkarim was left on the ground after Mohammedou’s trick, allowing the Yemen player to strike a powerful shot into the goalkeeper’s left-hand corner and make it 1-1.

The goal was followed by a celebration associated with Ronaldo. Mohammedou ran towards the supporters, placed a hand on his chest and then jumped and shouted before being joined by his Yemen team-mates.

The moment was captured by Al Kass, which reported the equaliser, as the Yemen fans waved flags and celebrated in the stands. Yemen’s players embraced in the middle of the pitch, underlining the significance of earning a point against a strong Bahrain side.

Mohammedou’s choice of celebration came as Ronaldo was reportedly facing uncertainty within the Portugal camp.

According to Portuguese newspaper A Bola, Ronaldo missed Portugal training for a third successive day in a development that increased tension around the squad. The absence came only minutes after the manager had confirmed that the captain would take part in the session in Copenhagen.

A Bola also reported that Ronaldo left Parken stadium in the Danish capital on Wednesday in a car belonging to the Portuguese Football Federation. At that point, all of his team-mates apart from Francisco Conceicao had begun arriving on the pitch.

The contrasting scenes left Ronaldo absent from training in Copenhagen amid the situation surrounding the Portugal squad, while Mohammedou celebrated in Ronaldo’s trademark style after scoring a goal that had rescued Yemen against Bahrain.