The Asian Champions League Elite match between Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr and Neftchi Fargona kicked off later than scheduled as Houthis continue to fire missiles at targets in Saudi Arabia.
As the planned kickoff time approached at Al-Awwal Park on Monday, Oct. 12, a message played telling fans to stay calm and remain in their seats while kickoff was delayed.
A Saudi military spokesperson told local newspapers forces had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile headed toward Riyadh, where Al-Nassr's home stadium sits on the campus of King Saud University.
The additional attacks come two days after a Houthi missile struck the Riyadh Airport, killing 13 and injuring hundreds.
After authorities ruled that the danger had been cleared, the match
kicked off at 10:15 p.m. local time and proceeded without off-field incident.
The Houthis, a Shia paramilitary group based in Yemen, are backed by Iran. They have recently expanded their attacks in Saudi Arabia in an escalation of the war in the Middle East.
Ronaldo scored the second goal of the match, helping send Al-Nassr into the halftime break with a 2-0 advantage. Marcus Forss thought he had pulled one back for the Uzbek side just before the half, only to see his goal ruled off because a teammate in an offside position was ruled to be involved in the play.
It is the second goal Ronaldo has scored since his early return to Al-Nassr, leaving Portugal duty early amidst a dispute with manager Jorge Jesus.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ronaldo, Al-Nassr see Champions League game delayed as missile attacks on Saudi Arabia continue
