Ronaldo shines, making 40,000 fans happy, Al Nassr reaches Super Cup final despite playing with one less player

On the evening of August 19, Ronaldo shone when he made an important assist, helping Al Nassr defeat Al Ittihad 2-1 in the Super Cup semi-final (Saudi Arabian Super Cup).

Ronaldo's disappointing first half, Al Nassr only played with 10 men

Despite turning 40 and his physical strength declining, Ronaldo is still considered by coach Jorge Jesus to be the center of Al Nassr's playing style. In the match against Al Ittihad, which took place at Hong Kong Stadium with 40,000 spectators, Ronaldo still wore the captain's armband and played at the top of Al Nassr's attack. Supporting the Portuguese player are famous stars such as Sadio Mane and Brozovic. In addition, the two contracts that Al Nassr just brought in, wingers João Félix and Kingsley Coman, also played from the start.

Ronaldo had a disappointing first half against Al Ittihad

PHOTO: REUTERS

Despite receiving strong support from the surrounding satellites, Ronaldo had a disappointing first half. Being closely followed by Al Ittihad's central defenders, the player wearing the number 7 shirt only had 12 touches of the ball - the fewest on the pitch. It was not until the end of the first half that Ronaldo left a mark with two consecutive shots in the opponent's penalty area but could not beat goalkeeper Hamed Al-Shanqiti. After 45 minutes, Ronaldo was given 6.4 points by Whoscored , the lowest in the Al Nassr squad.

In contrast to Ronaldo's lackluster performance in the first half, players like Kingsley Coman and Sadio Mane played brilliantly, helping Al Nassr have many scoring opportunities. In the 10th minute, Sadio Mane shot the ball with class from Brozovic's pass, helping Al Nassr lead 1-0. Unfortunately, this advantage did not last long when just 6 minutes later, Steven Bergwijn scored from close range, helping Al Ittihad equalize 1-1. Worse, at the end of the first half, Al Nassr suffered a great loss in terms of force when the most outstanding player Sadio Mane received a direct red card.

Sadio Mane received a direct red card and left the field in the first half.

PHOTO: REUTERS

Ronaldo spoke up at the right time, creating an assist for João Felix to score

The lack of players after the first half forced Al Nassr to retreat deep into the formation and play defensive counter-attacks in the second half. Ronaldo no longer received as much support as before, being alone in the attack. However, in the 61st minute, the Al Nassr captain showed his class by breaking the offside trap and then accelerating, creating an assist for João Félix to easily raise the score to 2-1 for Al Nassr. Not stopping there, in the 67th minute, Al Nassr continued to score against Al Ittihad. However, after consulting VAR, the referee denied this goal because he thought Ronaldo had fouled the opposing player.

Taking the lead unexpectedly despite being short-handed, Al Nassr's spirit was high. Ronaldo and his teammates played well on the offensive front, having no less than 3 scoring opportunities. However, no more goals were scored. Meanwhile, Al Nassr's defense remained focused under the pressure of Al Ittihad, protecting the 2-1 lead until the end of the match.

Ronaldo assisted João Félix to seal the victory for Al Nassr

PHOTO: REUTERS

Defeating Al Ittihad 2-1, Ronaldo's Al Nassr has made it to the Super Cup final for the second consecutive time. Al Nassr's opponent in the final match is the winner of the remaining match between Al Qadisiyah and Al Ahli, taking place at 7pm on August 20.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ronaldo-toa-sang-khien-40000-cdv-sung-suong-al-nassr-vao-chung-ket-super-cup-du-choi-thieu-nguoi-185250819200856082.htm