Cristiano Ronaldo’s quest for his first domestic trophy in Saudi Arabia hit a roadblock as his club, Al-Nassr, fell to a 4-1 defeat against Al-Hilal in the Saudi Super Cup final on Saturday. While the five-time Ballon d’Or winner opened the scoring just before halftime, a dramatic second-half performance by Al-Hilal ultimately decided the outcome.
The season’s curtain-raiser saw the Saudi Pro League champion Al-Hilal face off against runner-up Al-Nassr, setting the stage for an exciting clash. Ronaldo, who joined Al-Nassr in December 2022 and shattered league records with 35 goals last season, found the back of the net in the 44th minute, capitalizing on a pass from Abdulrahman Ghareeb.
However, Al-Hilal’s second-half response proved decisive. The game took a dramatic turn when Sergej Milinkovic-Savic leveled the score in the 55th minute, slotting the ball in from just inside the area. The tide turned completely as former Newcastle and Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrović netted twice in a six-minute span, putting Al-Hilal firmly in control. Brazilian winger Malcom added the final blow, securing Al-Hilal’s fourth goal and a second successive Super Cup victory.
Mitrović, after his dominant performance, highlighted the team’s resilience: “We showed how good we are in the second half,” he said. “We had some problems in the first half and then changed in the second. We stayed calm and it feels good to get a trophy at the start of the season.”
Al-Hilal, who are still awaiting the return of Neymar from a knee ligament injury sustained last October, will kick off their title defense against Al-Okhdood next Saturday. Al-Nassr, meanwhile, face Al-Raed two days earlier.
