Cristiano Ronaldo missed out on a first trophy of the new season as his Al Nassr side were thrashed 4-1 by Al Hilal in the final of the Saudi Super Cup on Saturday.
Ronaldo, starting his third season with the Saudi Pro League club, had put Al Nassr in front at half-time with a 44th-minute goal in Abha. The 39-year-old found the net with a side-foot finish from 6 yards following a cutback from the left.
But it was all one-way traffic in the second half as Al Hilal’s Serbian duo made the difference. Midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic struck first, 10 minutes after the restart, after exchanging passes with Aleksandar Mitrovic and firing a powerful shot into Al Nassr’s net.
Al Hilal took the lead eight minutes later when Mitrovic rose to meet a perfect cross from Rúben Neves and headed the ball in from close range.
The former Fulham striker then extended Al Hilal’s lead when he received a pass from Brazilian Malcom in the 69th minute and fired the ball straight into the net.
Malcom scored Al Hilal’s fourth goal three minutes later when he took advantage of Al Nassr goalkeeper Bento‘s error in controlling the ball after a pass from Aymeric Laporte to fire it home with ease.
Al Hilal won the Super Cup for the second time in a row and the fifth time in their history and remain the most successful team in the competition, three titles ahead of Al Nassr.
It was a familiar story for Ronaldo and Al Nassr, who were beaten to the Saudi Pro League title and the Saudi King’s Cup by Al Hilal last season.
The new Saudi Pro League season will begin on Thursday, when Al Nassr host Al Raed.
Information from Reuters contributed to this report.
