Al-Nassr, led by Captain Cristiano Ronaldo, suffered a 2-1 loss to their city rivals Al-Hilal in the semi-final of the Saudi Super Cup in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
The game was marred by heated exchanges and tempers flaring, leading to Ronaldo being sent off with a straight red card just four minutes before the final whistle.
The Portuguese forward was shown the red card for elbowing an opponent, with his team already trailing by 2-0 at that point.
However, Al-Nassr did manage to score a late consolation goal before the final whistle.
The opening goal of the game came in the 62nd minute when Al-Hilal’s Salem Al-Dawsari slotted the ball into the bottom right corner after a quick break, following a flick by Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. Brazilian forward Malcolm doubled the lead for Al-Hilal in the 72nd minute with a fine header, after receiving a long cross from Michael, his compatriot, while being unmarked in the center of the box.
Former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane scored a goal for Al-Nassr in stoppage time, off Abdulrahman Ghareeb’s pass, bringing some hope to his team but it was too little too late for them.
Al-Hilal now looks forward to the final of the Saudi Super Cup, where they will face Al-Ittihad, who beat Al-Wehda 2-1 in the earlier semi-final on Monday. Al-Hilal will be looking to win their fourth title, which will be a record-extending achievement for the team.
