ABU DHABI: Al-Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off late in the game as his side slumped to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of neighbors Al-Hilal in a tense Saudi Super Cup semi-final in Abu Dhabi earlier this morning.
Portugal’s top goal scorer was shown a straight red card four minutes before the end for elbowing Al-Hilal defender Ali Al-Bulayhi when his team was 2-0 down.
Al-Hilal controlled by Jorge Jesus opened the curtain in the 62nd minute when Salem Al-Dawsari hit the ball into the right corner following a goal from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic after a quick counter attack.
Brazilian striker Malcolm doubled the score in the 72nd minute with a beautiful header after Michael’s high pass from the right found his unmarked compatriot in the middle of the penalty box.
Former Liverpool striker Sadio Mane then closed the gap for Al-Nassr due to an injury following Abdulrahman Ghareeb’s goal.
Al-Hilal will be chasing a record fourth championship in the final match early this Friday morning when they face Karim Benzema’s club, Al-Ittihad, who previously eliminated Al-Wehda 2-1 in another semi-final match.