The clash of the semi-finals of the Saudi Arabia Super Cup on Monday pitted Riyadh’s two flagship clubs, Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr, in the United Arab Emirates.
As expected, it was Al-Hilal, the leader of the Saudi league, who dictated terms to its runner-up, winning 2-1 to record a 33rd consecutive victory across all competitions. The scoreline doesn’t reflect the game’s flow, especially in the second half, completely dominated by the teammates of Kalidou Koulibaly and Yassine Bounou (both starters), who could have won much more convincingly with better finishing.
After great work from Milinkovic-Savic, Al-Dawsari logically opened the scoring for Al-Hilal (61st minute), before Malcom extended their lead with a header (72nd minute). A few minutes after Cristiano Ronaldo’s expulsion for elbowing an opponent several times, Sadio Mané salvaged some honor by scoring for Al-Nassr in the dying moments (90th+9 minute).
Al-Ittihad and Hamdallah Make it to the Finals
After failures in the Asian Champions League and in the league, this elimination represents yet another blow for CR7’s club, which now only has the King’s Cup to salvage its season. Meanwhile, Al-Hilal will face Al-Ittihad in the Super Cup final on Thursday, who earlier defeated Al Wehda (2-1) with goals from Karim Benzema and Moroccan Abderrazak Hamdallah.
