Cristiano Ronaldo led Al-Nassr to their first trophy of the season, scoring both goals in a memorable 2-1 victory over Al-Hilal in the King Salman Club Cup final on Saturday.
With 15 minutes left on the clock and his team a goal and a man down against their Riyadh rivals, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner rallied his team into extra time, secured victory, and celebrated at the end of over two hours of draining and entertaining football.
This clash in Abha marked the conclusion of pre-season preparations for both teams, who begin their league campaigns on Monday. Al-Hilal stays in the same city to face Abha, while Al-Nassr heads east to take on Ettifaq. Both teams draw positives from this tournament, previously known as the Arab Club Champions Cup, and this encounter.
Al-Hilal’s new midfielder, Ruben Neves, had the first real chance, with his shot from the edge of the area narrowly missing the post. Salem Al-Dawsari burst through the defense but struggled to control the ball.
Afterward, Al-Nassr dominated and should have led at halftime if not for Al-Hilal goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais’ impressive saves.
Sadio Mane delivered a perfect cross from the left for Abdullah Al-Khaibari, who executed a powerful downward header, but Al-Owais pulled off a fantastic one-handed save.
The half ended with more from Al-Nassr. Seko Fofana curled a dangerous pass through the defense for Ronaldo, who stretched but diverted the ball into the goalkeeper’s arms.
Despite being second best, Al-Hilal took the lead early in the second half with a goal from Malcom, who chipped a perfect cross for Michael to head past Nawaf Al-Aqidi.
Al-Nassr pressed harder, with Ronaldo’s fierce shot just over and Anderson Talisca forcing another save from the busy Al-Owais.
Al-Hilal disrupted Al-Nassr’s rhythm further and worsened their situation with 18 minutes remaining as Abdulelah Al-Amri was red-carded for a foul on Malcom.
Yet, Al-Nassr leveled the score with 15 minutes left. Sultan Al-Ghannam burst free down the right and his low cross found Ronaldo, who tapped home for his fifth goal in successive games.
With five minutes left, Ronaldo seemed to score, but it was ruled out by VAR. Al-Hilal almost snatched victory, but Sergej Milinkovic-Savic’s header went wide.
Ronaldo’s shot beat the keeper early in extra time, but Ali Al-Bulaihi cleared it spectacularly. Ronaldo soon headed home a rebound after Fofana’s shot hit the bar. Al-Nassr’s manager, Luis Castro, was ejected for protesting rough challenges on his players.
In an attempt to force penalties, Al-Hilal attacked vigorously, but Al-Nassr defended resolutely. The spotlight belonged to a certain 38-year-old who danced around the pitch in delight at the final whistle, hugging teammates and lifting the trophy – his first in Saudi Arabia. With Ronaldo’s form and attitude, the coming months hold exciting possibilities.
