Cristiano Ronaldo made his mark on Wednesday in his return to competitive action, scoring a goal and assisting another as Luis Castro’s Al Nasr beat Al Taawon 2-0 to reach the Super Cup final.
Al Nasr’s first goal came eight minutes later after Senegal’s Sadio Mane played in a cross into the heart of the penalty area where Cristiano Ronaldo deflected the ball to teammate Ayman Yahaya, positioned near the second post, an open marker.
The triumph was confirmed in the second half with a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo, who fired a powerful first-time shot into the box after a back-pass from right-back Sultan Al-Ghannam, who stepped up to the line to clear the ball.
In addition to Cristiano Ronaldo, who was replaced by Abdulrahman Gharib in the 81st minute, there was another Portuguese player on the pitch for Al Nasr, midfielder Otavio, who played the full 90 minutes.
Italian referee Davide Massa showed Croatia midfielder Marcel Brozovic a red card after a loose ball in which he lifted his leg and kicked an opponent, a defeat for the Super Cup final.
Al Nasr will face Saudi Arabian champions Al Hilal, coached by Jorge Jesus, on Saturday starting from 17:15 (Lisbon time) in the Super Cup final after eliminating Al Nasr in the semi-finals on Tuesday, Ahly.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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