Al Nassr’s Ronaldo red-carded as Al Hilal win Saudi Super Cup semifinal

Cristiano Ronaldo’s wait for a Saudi Arabian football trophy will continue after Super Cup exit.

Al Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off late on as his side lost 2-1 to city rivals Al Hilal in their Saudi Super Cup semifinal after a heated clash in Abu Dhabi.

Portugal’s record scorer was shown a straight red card four minutes from time for elbowing an opponent when his side were 2-0 down before they scored a late consolation on Monday night.

Jorge Jesus’s Al Hilal opened the scoring in the 62nd minute when Salem al-Dawsari slotted the ball into the bottom right corner from a Sergej Milinkovic-Savic flick after a quick break.

Brazilian forward Malcolm doubled the lead in the 72nd minute with a fine header after Michael’s long cross from the right found his compatriot unmarked in the centre of the box.

Former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane got Al Nassr on the scoresheet in stoppage time off Abdulrahman Ghareeb’s pass.

Al Hilal will seek a record-extending fourth title in Thursday’s final when they face Karim Benzema’s Al Ittihad, who beat Al Wehda 2-1 in the earlier semifinal on Monday.

Ronaldo joined Al Nassr on a free transfer on December 31, 2022, securing the highest salary for a professional footballer after signing a two-and-a-half-year, $213m deal.

The Portuguese striker, who began playing for Al Nassr in January 2023, is yet to win a trophy in Saudi Arabia.