Al Hilal players celebrate the victory over Al Nasr (Reuters)
Salem Al-Dosari and Malcolm scored two goals in the second half, leading Al-Hilal to a 2-1 victory over Al-Nasr on Monday and qualifying to meet Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Football Super Cup final.
The match witnessed the expulsion of Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo in the 86th minute after new “disgraceful behaviour”.
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Ronaldo was suspended and fined at the end of last February for “disgraceful behavior” as well, but against the fans in a match against Al-Shabab in the Saudi Professional League.
Cristiano's expulsion shot 🟥
Ronaldo 🆚 Al-Bulaihi #Saudi_Super_Cup_Diriyah #AlHilal_Nasr | #SSC pic.twitter.com/ZbPyQ0jnin
— SSC (@ssc_sports) April 8, 2024
At the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi, the first half of the Al Hilal and Al Nassr match ended in a goalless draw, then Al Dosari and Malcolm scored two goals in the second half, and Al Nassr responded with a single goal scored by Sadio Mane, qualifying Al Hilal to meet the defending champion Al Ittihad in the final scheduled for next Thursday.
Al-Ittihad qualified for the final with a 2-1 victory over Al-Wahda in the first match of the semi-final earlier today.
Al-Hilal had the most possession of the ball, but Al-Nasr was the most dangerous offensively in the first half. Things were different in the second half, as the danger shifted to Al-Hilal, which forced Al-Nasr to direct its focus to the defensive side for long periods. It could have won with a greater score had it not been for the brilliance of Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina.
On the other hand, Al-Nasr made some scoring attempts and had more than one opportunity for Ronaldo. Al-Hilal conceded in the last seconds of the first half through Otavio, but it was not awarded a goal due to offside.
Al Hilal continues to write history🔵✍🏻
33 victories in a row🔝
Watch the goals of the derby match in the voice of Fahd Al-Otaibi⤵ #Saudi_Super_Cup_Diriyah #AlHilal_Nasr | #SSC pic.twitter.com/DMavqkENmP
— SSC (@ssc_sports) April 8, 2024
Al Hilal succeeded in imposing a successful “offside trap” on Ronaldo and Mane in the first half, making the team’s efforts in vain, as was the only goal they scored.
Al-Nasr’s response came in the ninth minute of stoppage time for the match, with a goal scored by Senegalese Mane.
Al-Nasr ended the match with ten players, after Ronaldo was sent off for directing two elbow strikes to his rival, Ali Al-Bulaihi, after a struggle over the ball outside the touchline. This is what is called in Article 12 of the Football Law “disgraceful conduct” because he was struck without the ball.
Source: Al Jazeera + Reuters