Al-Nassr’s Ronaldo red-carded as Al-Hilal win semi-final

ABU DHABI: 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 semi-final 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 were 2-0 down before they 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 they face Karim Benzema’s Al-Ittihad, who beat Al-Wehda 2-1 in the earlier semi-final on Monday.