Saudi Arabia's Super Cup semifinal match, which unfolded on the evening of April 8 at Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in the Arab Emirates, ended in scandal.
The match between Al-Hilal and Al-Nasr was heralded as the most anticipated event in the Saudi Arabian soccer world, being compared to the clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona in Spain, Universitario and Alliance Lima in Peru, or Boca Juniors and River Plate in Argentina, MK Sport reported.
The performance of Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo Dos Santos Aveiro, often referred to simply as "CR7", was expected to attract particular attention from spectators. And that's not surprising given his superb form: two hat-tricks in the last ten days.
But it was far from just the player's skill that raised questions. The decisions of referee Mohammed Al-Khoaish and the use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) proved decisive for the fate of this game.
So, the game started with the Al-Hilal team having an advantage. Al Nasr goalkeeper David Ospina did well to deal with shots from Malkol, Milinkovic-Savic and Ruben Neves. However, Al Nasr players were not left in debt by the counter attacks and Bono, the Hilal goalkeeper, was also at his best to save his goal.
Special attention was paid to the actions of Ronaldo and Mane, who were repeatedly provoked by Hilal players, committing minor infringements and fouls, but despite this, the referee did not punish the team immediately, but only showed a yellow card to Milinkovic-Savic in the 35th minute.
The events of the second half were also no less tense. In the 21st minute CR7 was close to scoring a goal, but his shot was deflected by the goalkeeper. And in the 50th minute, the goal scored by Mane was canceled by the decision of the CAP, which caused widespread debate. The unfair cancelation of the goal and other refereeing errors led to heated passions on the pitch, including a scuffle that resulted in Ronaldo being sent off.
Earlier, Barcelona defeated Paris Saint-Germain away in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, and German coach Nagelsmann is expected to get a new job after the Euros.