Greg . 16 hours ago

Sadio Mane sent off as Al Nassr battle to Super Cup semi-final win over Al Ittihad

Sadio Mane became the third Al Nassr player in as many Saudi Super Cup editions to be sent off, but his early goal and a second-half strike from new signing Joao Felix secured a 2-1 win over Al Ittihad in a tense semi-final on Tuesday.

Mane opened the scoring in the 10th minute at the Hong Kong Stadium with a powerful volley after a low cross from Croatian midfielder Marcelo Brozovic.

However, the Senegalese forward was shown a straight red card in the 25th minute for a reckless challenge on Al Ittihad goalkeeper Hamed Al-Shanqity, confirmed after a VAR review.

The dismissal continued a troubling trend for Al Nassr in the competition, following red cards for Cristiano Ronaldo in 2023 and Brozovic in 2024.

Dutch winger Steven Bergwijn equalised for Al Ittihad in the 16th minute, finishing off a swift counterattack with a low shot from the edge of the box.

Despite being reduced to 10 men, Al Nassr regained the lead in the 61st minute when Felix, who joined the club this summer, latched onto a through ball from Ronaldo and slotted past the keeper.

Moments later, Felix thought he had grabbed a second, but his drilled shot was ruled out by VAR for a Ronaldo foul on Fabinho in the build-up.

Al Nassr advance to the final, where they will face the winner of the second semi-final between Al Qadsiah and Al Ahli on Wednesday.