Al Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo was shown a straight red card late in the game as his team suffered a 2-1 defeat against city rivals Al Hilal in the Saudi Super Cup semifinal held in Abu Dhabi on Monday. The match was marked by a heated clash that saw Ronaldo being sent off for elbowing an opponent when his team was trailing 2-0. Despite scoring a late consolation goal, Al Nassr couldn't overturn the deficit.
Following his red card, Ronaldo was captured on video making a punching gesture towards the official, who had already turned away from the incident. The defeat in the Super Cup semifinal further diminishes Ronaldo's chances of winning a trophy since joining Saudi Arabia at the start of 2023. Al Nassr has been eliminated from the domestic cup and the Asian Champions League, and they currently sit 12 points behind league leaders Al Hilal with seven games remaining in the season.
Al Hilal took the lead in the 62nd minute through Salem Al-Dawsari, who calmly slotted the ball into the bottom right corner after a flick from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic during a swift counterattack. Brazilian forward Malcolm extended the lead in the 72nd minute with a well-placed header following a precise cross from Michael.
Al Nassr managed to pull one back in stoppage time when former Liverpool forward Sadio Mané converted Abdulrahman Ghareeb's pass. Al Hilal will now aim for a record-extending fourth title in the final against Al Ittihad, led by Karim Benzema, who secured a 2-1 victory over Al Wehda in the earlier semifinal on Monday.
