Ronaldo unexpectedly ‘revives’ his chance to win the Arab Super Cup

Al Ahli has received an appeal concerning their involvement in the Arab Super Cup, which creates an opportunity for Ronaldo’s Al Nassr to secure the championship.

Saudi Pro League club Al Qadsiah has filed an appeal against Al Ahli’s participation in the Arab Super Cup after this team defeated Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr. Although only chosen at the last minute to replace Al Hilal, Al Ahli still won the four-team tournament held in Hong Kong, intensifying the controversy.

In a statement posted on their official X account, Al Qadsiah affirmed that they had opposed Al Ahli’s inclusion from the start but were not approved, and they will continue to pursue all measures to seek justice.

Specifically, the statement said: “Initially, we opposed replacing Al Hilal with Al Ahli in the Arab Super Cup semifinals, based on the regulations of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF). However, the organizers ignored this and proceeded with the semifinal match between Al Ahli and Al Qadsiah. Afterwards, the appeal committee ruled Al Hilal lost 0-3 to Al Qadsiah. This result confirms our original position was entirely correct and affirms the proper application of SAFF regulations.

With this decision, Al Qadsiah will take all necessary steps to protect their rights as well as ensure professional and financial interests.”

If SAFF intervenes to discuss this issue, Al Ahli could be stripped of the title. This would mean Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates at Al Nassr might become the Arab Super Cup champions despite their recent defeat.

Traditionally, the four teams in the Arab Super Cup are the champions and runners-up of both the Saudi Pro League and the King’s Cup. However, Al Hilal, last season’s Saudi Pro League runner-up, withdrew despite being drawn against Al Qadsiah in the semifinals. The organizers then selected Al Ahli, the current AFC Champions League Elite champions, as a replacement, sparking the dispute.

Coach Matthias Jaissle’s team easily defeated Al Qadsiah 5-1 in the semifinals, then went on to face Al Nassr in the final.

Cristiano Ronaldo shone again by successfully converting a penalty to open the scoring. This was the Portuguese superstar’s 100th goal for Al Nassr. However, Franck Kessie equalized before the first half ended.

In the second half, Marcelo Brozovic thrilled Al Nassr fans by scoring to make it 2-1 in the 82nd minute. Yet drama unfolded in the 89th minute when Roger Ibanez unexpectedly scored to level the match at 2-2 for Al Ahli, forcing a penalty shootout.

There, Al Nassr suffered a 3-5 defeat to their opponents, marking their second consecutive runner-up finish. For Ronaldo, CR7 still has not secured a major title with Al Nassr since joining Saudi Arabia in 2023.

Related article

Ronaldo faces a painful curse at Al Nassr Cristiano Ronaldo continues to endure disappointment with Al Nassr as he falls short again in a final, extending his trophy drought in Saudi Arabia and keeping the “curse” unbroken. See more