(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane both found the net as Al-Nassr secured a 3-1 victory over Al-Khaleej in the King Cup of Champions semifinal at the Al-Awwal Stadium in Riyadh on Wednesday.
Al-Nassr will now square off against Saudi Pro League leaders and Saudi Super Cup winners Al-Hilal in the final on May 31, following their victory over Al-Ittihad in the other semifinal earlier in the week.
Ronaldo opened the scoring in the 17th minute, capitalizing on a defensive error from Al-Khaleej. A wayward back pass from Lisandro Lopez put goalkeeper Ibrahim Sehic under pressure, leading to a loose clearance that fell to Ronaldo at the edge of the box. The Portuguese star calmly slotted the ball into the empty net with his left foot.
Sadio Mane then doubled Al-Nassr's lead from the penalty spot in the 37th minute, after Ivo Rodrigues handled the ball inside the area. Mane dispatched the spot-kick confidently into the right side of the net, giving his side a comfortable advantage heading into halftime.
Despite making changes at halftime, Al-Khaleej couldn't prevent further goals, as Ronaldo completed his brace in the 57th minute, converting a low cross from Ayman Yahya at the far post.
Al-Khaleej goalkeeper Sehic put in an impressive performance, making nine saves to prevent his team from conceding more goals.
The situation worsened for Al-Khaleej when center-back Mohammed Al-Khabrani was forced off due to injury in the 77th minute, after the team had already used all five substitutions, leaving them with 10 men for the remainder of the match.
Al Khaleej managed to pull one goal back in the 82nd minute through substitute Fawaz Al-Torais, who finished off a well-delivered cross from Arif Al Haydar. However, it proved to be too little, too late, as Al-Nassr comfortably held onto their lead to secure the victory.
Following this win, the Portuguese legend took to social media to celebrate Al-Nassr's win over Al-Khaleej. "Kings Cup Final! Let's GO!" he wrote on his social media accounts.
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