In a fiery showdown in Abu Dhabi on Monday, Al Nassr’s captain Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off late in the game as his team suffered a 2-1 defeat against city rivals Al Hilal in the Saudi Super Cup semifinal.
The match reached a boiling point when Portugal’s record scorer was shown a straight red card just four minutes before the final whistle for elbowing an opponent, with his side trailing 2-0. Despite a late consolation goal from Mane, Al Nassr couldn’t overturn the deficit, ultimately bowing out of the tournament.
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The turning point occurred in the 85th minute when Ronaldo was sent off following a heated altercation with an Al Hilal player, adding to the drama of the match.
Al Hilal took the lead in the 62nd minute when Salem Al-Dawsari found the back of the net with a precise finish, assisted by Sergej Milinkovic-Savic after a swift counterattack.
Brazilian forward Malcolm extended Al Hilal’s lead in the 72nd minute with a well-executed header, capitalizing on Michael’s cross from the right flank.
Despite Al Nassr’s late effort to claw back into the game, with Sadio Mane scoring in stoppage time off Abdulrahman Ghareeb’s assist, it wasn’t enough to alter the outcome.
With this victory, Al Hilal advances to the final of the Super Cup, aiming for a record-extending fourth title. They will face Karim Benzema’s Al-Ittihad in the highly anticipated final on Thursday, following Al-Ittihad’s 2-1 win over Al-Wehda in the earlier semifinal clash on Monday.
