Cristiano Ronaldo's hopes for an early-season trophy were dashed as Al Nassr suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat to Al Hilal in the Saudi Super Cup final on Saturday. Ronaldo, now in his third season with Al Nassr, gave his team a promising start by scoring in the 44th minute, netting a side-footed shot from six yards after a well-placed cutback from the left.
However, the match turned in Al Hilal's favour in the second half. Serbian midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic equalised 10 minutes after the break with a powerful shot following a one-two with Aleksandar Mitrovic. Just eight minutes later, Mitrovic put Al Hilal ahead, heading in a precise cross from Rúben Neves.
Al Hilal extended their lead in the 69th minute when Mitrovic struck again, this time capitalising on a pass from Brazilian forward Malcom to score from close range. Malcom added a fourth goal three minutes later, taking advantage of an error by Al Nassr's goalkeeper Bento, who mishandled a pass from Aymeric Laporte, allowing Malcom to score easily.
This victory secured Al Hilal their second consecutive Saudi Super Cup title and their fifth overall, further solidifying their dominance in the competition, with three more titles than their rivals Al Nassr. The defeat echoed familiar disappointments for Ronaldo and Al Nassr, who were outperformed by Al Hilal in both the Saudi Pro League and the Saudi King's Cup last season.
The new Saudi Pro League season is set to kick off on Thursday, with Al Nassr hosting Al Raed as they aim to bounce back from this setback.
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