Cristiano Ronaldo endured more heartache in Saudi Arabia on Saturday as he once again missed out on a trophy to Al Hilal.
The Portugal great scored the opener in the final of the Saudi Super Cup to give his side a deserved first-half lead and move to 897 career goals across all competitions for club and country.
Al Hilal beat Al Nassr to the Saudi Pro League title in 2023/24 and defeated them in the final of this year's King's Cup, underlining their status as the dominant footballing force in the country.
It looked as though Luis Castro's team would claim the first piece of silverware of the new season, though, after producing the stronger performance in the opening 45 minutes at Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium in Abha.
RONALDO PUTS AL NASSR AHEAD IN THE SAUDI SUPER CUP FINAL 🙌 pic.twitter.com/5onPv28w0E
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) August 17, 2024
However, Al Nassr endured an awful collapse in the second half as they conceded four times in 17 minutes to surrender the game — and the trophy.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic produced a clever finish to level the scores 10 minutes after the break, before Aleksandar Mitrovic struck twice from close range in the space of six minutes.
Former Barcelona winger Malcom then capitalised on a slip from goalkeeper Bento to make certain of the victory, with Ronaldo blasting a free-kick over the crossbar with the last act of the match.
The Al Nassr captain swiftly went down the tunnel after the final whistle rather than stay to applaud the fans or congratulate the winners. The pressure will now be on the five-time Ballon d'Or winner to lead his team to a title challenge against the nation's best side.
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Has Cristiano Ronaldo won a trophy with Al Nassr?
Ronaldo's sole piece of silverware since his move to Saudi Arabia came via the Arab Club Champions Cup in 2023.
The veteran forward scored twice, the second in extra time, to give Al Nassr a 2-1 win over Al Hilal in the final at King Fahd Stadium in Taif.
After that, Al Hilal went on a 42-game unbeaten run in all competitions and have still not lost a match to a fellow Saudi side. They have gone six games without defeat against Al Nassr.
