Mane sees red as Al-Nassr edge Al-Ittihad in Hong Kong thriller
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.
