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On April 9, Al-Nassr faced Al-Hilal in the semi-final of the Saudi Super Cup and the match ended in a disappointing 2-1 loss for Cristiano Ronaldo's side. To add to the fiasco, the Portuguese superstar received a straight red card during the match.
Following a dry first half, Salem Aldawsari opened the scoring for Al-Hilal in the 61st minute, followed by another 11 minutes later by Brazilian forward Malcom. Cristiano Ronaldo was earlier booked after engaging in a heated argument with the referee after his goal was disallowed by VAR for offside. However, he was shown a straight red card in the 86th minute for violent conduct against Al Hilal centre-back Ali Albulayhi.
Just minutes before the final whistle, Senegalese forward Sadio Mane netted a consolation (90+9) for the Knights of Najd.
In the post-match conference, Al-Nassr boss Luís Castro addressed the incident involving Ronaldo, saying:
“Ali Al-Bulayhi acted in front of the referee and Ronaldo.”
“Today it was a play by the opposition player and the referee gave Ronaldo red, but the VAR did not call the referee.”
The Portuguese manager defended Ronaldo's conduct in the match:
"I will not talk about the shot of the legend Cristiano Ronaldo because I do not see that he did anything that deserved to be expelled."
Castro also claimed that the Portuguese star has been 'deliberately provoked' on more than one occasion this season:
“During the current season, we noticed more than once that Cristiano Ronaldo was deliberately provoked during the match."
Al-Nassr have won the the Saudi Super Cup twice (2019 and 2020).
Al-Nassr face Al-Khaleej in the semi-final of the King Cup
With their run in the Saudi Super Cup coming to an end, Al-Nassr will now set their sights on the King Cup of Champions, where they will sqaure off against Al-Khaleej in the semi-final on May 1.
The other semi-finalists include Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad, who face off on April 30. The Knights of Najd are currently second in the Saudi Pro League with 65 points, 12 behind table-toppers Al-Hilal. Their next league fixture is against Al-Fayha on April 19.
The final of the Saudi Super Cup will be held on April 11 between Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad.
