Cristiano Ronaldo netted twice as Al Nassr secured a 3-1 victory over Al Khaleej in the King Cup of Champions semi-final held at the Al-Awwal Stadium in Riyadh on Wednesday.
Sadio Mane, the former Liverpool star, also found the back of the net, helping his team set up a final clash with Al Hilal.
Al Nassr will go head-to-head with the Saudi Pro League leaders and Saudi Super Cup champions, Al Hilal, in the final scheduled for May 31. This comes after Al Hilal overcame Al Ittihad in the other semi-final on Tuesday.
Ronaldo opened the scoring in the 17th minute, capitalizing on an error from the Al Khaleej defense. A weak back pass from defender Lisandro Lopez put goalkeeper Ibrahim Sehic in a tight spot, leading to a hasty clearance that fell to Ronaldo just outside the box. He promptly delivered a left-footed shot into the unguarded net.
Mane extended the lead in the 37th minute, converting a penalty after Al Khaleej’s Ivo Rodrigues was penalized for handling the ball in the box. Mane expertly dispatched the penalty into the right corner of the goal, doubling the advantage before halftime.
Despite tactical changes by Al Khaleej at halftime, they conceded again when Ronaldo completed his brace in the 57th minute, connecting with a low cross from Aiman Yahya at the back post.
Al Khaleej’s goalkeeper Sehic prevented a larger scoreline, making nine saves throughout the match.
The situation deteriorated for Al Khaleej when they were reduced to ten men in the 77th minute after Mohammed Al Khabrani had to leave the field injured following all five substitutions.
Al Khaleej managed to pull one back in the 82nd minute when substitute Fawaz Al-Torais finished a precise cross from Arif Al Haydar. However, it was too late to change the outcome, and Al Nassr comfortably maintained their lead to close out the match.
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