39-year-old striker Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring but Al Nassr lost 1-4 to Al Hilal in the final of the 2024 Saudi Super Cup.
At the Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium on August 17, Al Hilal fans repeatedly chanted Lionel Messi’s name to mock and put pressure on Ronaldo. The Portuguese striker responded by helping Al Nassr open the scoring.
In the 43rd minute, Abdulrahman Ghareeb broke through from the left wing into the penalty area and then crossed for Ronaldo to tap the ball into an empty net from close range. The 39-year-old striker celebrated his goal in his usual style, running to the corner flag, jumping into the air and dropping his arms to his sides. This was Ronaldo’s 897th career goal, but the result of the match was not perfect for him.
Ronaldo was distraught when Al Nassr lost in the first Cup match of the 2024-2025 season.
The game turned around dramatically in the second half, when Serbian duo Aleksandar Mitrovic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic scored three goals in a row between the 55th and 69th minutes. Milinkovic-Savic sprinted into the penalty area, shot diagonally to equalize, then Mitrovic headed and shot with his right foot close to the goal, giving Al Hilal a big advantage.
In the 72nd minute, goalkeeper Bento failed to control Aymeric Laporte’s back pass, allowing Malcom to steal the ball and shoot into an empty net, making the score 4-1. Many Al Nassr players came to encourage him, but Ronaldo reacted strongly, clearly showing his dissatisfaction with his teammate’s mistake. In the middle of the field, the captain put his palms together and brought them to his face, implying that his teammate was playing like he was sleepwalking.
After the match, Ronaldo did not cry like when Al Nassr and Al Hilal lost to Al Hilal in the King’s Cup final penalty shootout at the end of last season. However, the former Real Madrid and Man Utd striker went into the locker room and did not go up with his teammates to receive the runner-up medal.
This is the third consecutive time Ronaldo and his teammates have been defeated by Al Hilal. Before that, they were in the race for the Saudi Pro League title and the King’s Cup final. Al Nassr only came from behind to beat Al Hilal 2-1 in the Arab Club Champions Cup final in August 2023.
Last season, Ronaldo exploded with 50 goals in 51 games, including a record 35 in the Saudi Pro League. As a result, he became the first player to win the Golden Boot in four countries: Saudi Arabia, England, Italy and Spain. But Ronaldo did not win any official team titles, apart from the friendly Arab Club Champions Cup.
This season, Al Nassr will play the opening match of the Saudi Pro League against Al Raed on August 22.
