Despite scoring the opening goal, Cristiano Ronaldo could not help Al Nassr avoid a heavy defeat against Al Hilal in the Saudi Arabian Super Cup final. Disappointed, he did not stay to receive the silver medal.
Ronaldo scores but Al Nassr still ‘defeated’ Al Hilal
The 2024 Saudi Arabian Super Cup final between Al Nassr and Al Hilal took place with dramatic moments. The two teams quickly entered the game with strong attacking play, creating an attractive and tense match right from the first minutes.
However, it was not until the end of the first half that the audience witnessed the first goal of the match. In the 44th minute, Cristiano Ronaldo showed his killer instinct with a smart move and a tricky shot to the far corner to open the score for Al Nassr.
Ronaldo celebrates opening goal
This goal created a great psychological momentum for Al Nassr entering the second half. However, Al Hilal “transformed” after the break. The strong attacking style of the reigning Saudi Pro League champions was brought into full play, when they scored 4 goals in just 17 minutes, causing Al Nassr to completely collapse.
In the 55th minute, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic equalized the score 1-1 for Al Hilal. Just 8 minutes later, Aleksandar Mitrovic put his team ahead with a close-range header, making it 2-1. The Serbian striker continued to shine when he scored another goal in the 69th minute.
Al Hilal make dramatic comeback to win first title of new season
The climax of Al Nassr’s frustration came in the 72nd minute when goalkeeper Bento made a serious mistake, losing the ball to Malcom. The Al Hilal striker did not miss the opportunity to easily seal a 4-1 victory.
With this result, Al Hilal successfully defended the Saudi Arabian Super Cup title. Meanwhile, Ronaldo and his teammates continued their disappointing streak of matches when they could not beat their arch-rivals in 6 consecutive matches. Too disappointed with this result, Ronaldo criticized his teammates for “playing like they were sleepy” and left, not bothering to stay to receive the medal.
