Mané and Félix fire 10-man Al Nassr into Saudi Super Cup final
HONG KONG — Sadio Mané and João Félix struck as 10-man Al Nassr edged Al Ittihad 2-1 in a dramatic Saudi Super Cup semi-final on Tuesday in Hong Kong, securing their place in the final despite a first-half red card.
Mané opened the scoring in the 10th minute, converting a precise pass from Croatian midfielder Marcelo Brozović to give Al Nassr an early advantage after a dominant start.
But Al Ittihad hit back quickly. Dutch winger Steven Bergwijn capitalized on defensive confusion to equalize in the 16th minute, making it 1-1 and resetting the tempo of a frenetic first half.
The match took a major turn in the 25th minute when Saudi referee Khalid Al-Turais showed a straight red card to Mané, reducing Nassr to 10 men and raising questions about their ability to sustain pressure.
Yet even down a man, Al Nassr showed resilience and tactical discipline. Led by Brozović in midfield and with Cristiano Ronaldo orchestrating attacks, the Riyadh giants remained in control.The decisive moment came in the 60th minute. Ronaldo slipped a perfectly weighted ball through to Félix, who calmly slotted past the Ittihad goalkeeper.The goal was briefly reviewed by VAR but stood, giving Al Nassr a deserved lead once again.Despite late pressure from Ittihad, including waves of attacks in the final minutes, Al Nassr's defense held firm.The backline, buoyed by a cohesive team effort, managed to repel every attempt as the team closed out a gutsy win.Ronaldo's vision and leadership, along with Brozović's control and Félix's clinical finishing, ensured Al Nassr booked their place in the August 23 final, where they will face the winner of Wednesday's semi-final between Al Ahli and Al Qadsiah.
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