Al Nassr skipper Cristiano Ronaldo saw a late dismissal as his team suffered a 2-1 defeat against local rivals Al Hilal in the Saudi Super Cup semifinal, following a fiery encounter in Abu Dhabi.
The Portuguese football icon received a straight red card in the dying minutes of the game for an elbow incident, with his team trailing 2-0 before scoring a late consolation goal on Monday evening.
Jorge Jesus’s Al Hilal broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute, courtesy of Salem al-Dawsari’s clinical finish from a Sergej Milinkovic-Savic assist after a swift counterattack.
The lead was doubled in the 72nd minute by Brazilian forward Malcolm, who nodded home a superb header from Michael’s precise cross, finding his compatriot unmarked in the box.
Former Liverpool star Sadio Mane pulled one back for Al Nassr in stoppage time, connecting with Abdulrahman Ghareeb’s pass.
In fiery Saudi Super Cup clash, Cristiano Ronaldo’s red card late adds to Al-Nassr woes as they fall 2-1 to Al-Hilal in Abu Dhabi, with Al-Dawsari, Malcolm securing win for Blueshttps://t.co/JVH0POMEpd
— Daily Sabah (@DailySabah) April 9, 2024
Al Hilal will vie for their fourth title in the final on Thursday against Karim Benzema’s Al Ittihad, who secured a 2-1 victory over Al Wehda in the earlier semifinal clash on Monday.
Ronaldo made headlines when he joined Al Nassr on a free transfer on December 31, 2022, clinching the highest salary ever for a professional footballer with a lucrative two-and-a-half-year, $213 million contract.
Also Read: On Fire: Ronaldo Nets Another Hat-Trick in Al Nassr’s Saudi League Triumph
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