Saudi Super Cup: Cristiano Ronaldo Sees Red, Misses Out on Another Title As Al Hilal Beat Al Nassr

• Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Nassr suffered heartbreak in the Saudi Super Cup
• The Knights of Najd crashed out at the semi-final stage, losing 2-1 to Al-Hilal
• Hilal will face Karim Benzema's Al-Ittihad in the final of the 2024 Super Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo's ambitions of securing a title with Al-Nassr suffered a huge setback after Al-Nassr lost 2-1 to Al Hilal in the Saudi Super Cup semi-final.

The 39-year-old saw red late in the second half as his Al-Nassr side crashed out of the competition, with Al Hilal stretching their remarkable winning streak to 33 games as they reached the final of the Super Cup.

Al-Hilal end Al-Nassr's Saudi Super Cup dreams

Despite missing lead marksman Aleksandar Mitrovic, Hilal looked threatening from the onset as former Barcelona forward Malcom dragged an effort just wide off target in the opening exchanges.

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Shortly after, Ali Al Bulayhi, who deputised for the injured Mitrovic, unleashed a low drive, but David Ospina, in post for the Knights of Najd, managed to repel his effort with a good save.

However, Al-Nassr managed to weather the early storm, fashioning some decent chances. Their lead attacker, Ronaldo, saw a well-hit effort deflected for a corner kick by Yassine Bounou.

His effort spurred the yellow half of Riyadh on, and they thought they had broken the deadlock on the stroke of halftime when Otavio poked home from close range.

Unfortunately, the Video Assistant Referee ruled out his strike as offside, with his compatriot, CR7, deemed to have interfered with play from an offside position.

After recess, Hilal upped the ante, and it was only a matter of time before they drew first blood.

Serbian midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic put Salem Al Dawsari through on goal, and the latter made no mistake by pulling the trigger on the edge of the box for the game's opener in the 61st minute.

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Dawsari's goal spurred Hilal on as they threatened a second goal with a combination of Ospina and the woodwork, denying a thunderous effort from Abdullah Al Hamdan and Malcom.

But it proved to be a warning signal for what was to come, as the Brazilian finally got the goal his output deserved when he connected with a cross from Michael.

To add insult to Al-Nassr's injury, Ronaldo was sent off for an off-the-ball incident in the 87th minute, as noted by GOAL.

Nevertheless, Sadio Mane halved the deficit deep in stoppage time, but it proved to be only a consolation.

Ronaldo fumes at referee after red card

In an earlier report, Sports Brief detailed Cristiano Ronaldo's unfortunate dismissal during a crucial match for the Knights of Najd, dashing their hopes of claiming victory.

Ronaldo's early exit from the pitch stemmed from an off-the-ball altercation with an Al-Hilal player, prompting the referee to brandish a red card.

Following his expulsion, Ronaldo visibly displayed his frustration, initially showing signs of aggression towards the referee before ultimately restraining himself.