Cristiano Ronaldo thought he would have a very happy night in Hong Kong after reaching the 100-goal mark with Al Nassr during the final of the Arabian Super Cup, but CR7 couldn't have predicted that Jorge Jesus' side would be beaten by Al Ahli in the penalty shoot-out and prevent the Portuguese from winning another title in Arab soccer.
Late equaliser and penalties decide the Arabian Super Cup
Even in the 30-degree heat and on a pitch that was notoriously in poor condition, the intensity of the match was interesting, with plenty of goals. However, the big stars struggled to perform their best soccer in such adverse conditions before the league officially opens for the 2025/26 season.
Under Jorge Jesus, Al Nassr dominated possession with 62% and imposed themselves on the attack, opening the scoring in the 41st minute when Cristiano Ronaldo reached his milestone with a penalty. However, after an unsuccessful attempt at a bicycle kick by CR7, Al Ahli came back to equalize in the first half when Franck Kessié curled a shot into the corner off an assist from Enzo Millot.
Al Ahli showed a slight improvement at the start of the second half, but the match remained at a very slow pace until the final minutes. Near the end of the half, Marcelo Brozovic took advantage of an error by the opposition defense to put Al Nassr back in front, but Roger Ibañez, in the 89th minute, took advantage of a cross from Ryad Mahrez and scored with his head, in a move that was also marked by an error by goalkeeper Bento.
At least the penalty shoot-outs were good and the decisive move came only at the end, when Abdul Al-Kaibari missed the kick and allowed Galeno to convert the spot-kick to give Al-Ahli the title, with a 100% record. As a result, Cristiano Ronaldo is still searching for a major title since moving to Saudi Arabian soccer.