Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Nassr suffered a new disappointment this Saturday in the final of the 2025 Saudi Arabia Super Cup, held in Hong Kong. Although the Portuguese striker scored during regular time and also converted his penalty in the shootout, his team ended up losing to Al-Ahli 5-3 after a 2-2 draw in the 90 minutes.
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This new setback in a decisive instance extends the streak without official titles for the Saudi team since the arrival of the Portuguese star in 2023, who is paid $211 million per year.
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Since then, Al-Nassr has played three official finals and has lost them all: the 2023-24 King’s Cup, the 2024 Supercup, and now the 2025 edition. They have also not been able to win the Saudi Pro League.
The only trophy Cristiano has been able to celebrate with the club was the Arab Clubs Cup, although this tournament is not recognized by FIFA as an official competition.
The last official club title that the Portuguese forward won was the Copa Italia in 2021, while still wearing the Juventus jersey. However, in June, he won the UEFA Nations League with Portugal.
A tournament marked by absences and restructurings
The 2025 edition of the Supercup was initially supposed to feature the champions and runners-up of both the Copa del Rey and the Saudi Pro League from the 2024-25 season. However, due to the fact that Al-Ittihad managed to win both competitions, an extra spot was opened for the third-place finisher in the local league.
In addition to this, Al-Hilal, the league runner-up, also resigned. The club justified its decision citing scheduling issues and the physical condition of its players after their recent participation in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025. This withdrawal forced the organizers to invite the fifth-placed team, Al-Ahli, as the fourth-placed team, Al-Qadsiah, already had their spot secured as the runner-up of the King’s Cup.
In the semifinals, Al-Nassr defeated Al-Ittihad 2-1, while Al-Ahli surprised with a resounding 5-1 victory over Al-Qadsiah.
Goals, controversies, and penalties in the grand final
In the final, Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring for Al-Nassr after accurately converting a penalty awarded for a handball by Ali Majrashi. With that goal, Ronaldo reached his 100th goal wearing the Al-Nassr jersey.
When it seemed like the first half would end with an advantage for Luis Castro’s team, a combination between Millot and Franck Kessié resulted in a powerful shot from the Ivorian midfielder, who scored the 1-1 with a great goal.
In the second half, with ten minutes left, Marcelo Brozovic put Al-Nassr ahead again, but five minutes later, Al-Ahli equalized once more thanks to a header by Roger Ibáñez.
With the score tied 2-2, the title was decided by a penalty shootout. Al-Ahli converted all five of their shots and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy stopped Abdullah Al-Khaibari’s shot, sealing Al-Nassr’s defeat.