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

Cristiano Ronaldo was shown a straight red card four minutes from time for elbowing an opponent when his side was 2-0 down before it scored a late consolation.

Al Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo reacts after being suspended against Al Hilal in the Super Cup semifinal. | Photo Credit: Reuters

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

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

Jorge Jesus’ 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 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 it faces Karim Benzema’s Al-Ittihad, which beat Al-Wehda 2-1 in the earlier semifinal on Monday.