Al Khaleej kicks off the match, dressed in green, shooting from left to right. Will it be able to set up a final with Al Hilal or will Cristiano Ronaldo’s side have one final shot at silverware for this season? At least 90 Minutes till we find out.
Al Khaleej has started with keeping possession of the ball, passing it around in its own half. Al Nassr wins it and is doing the same thing.
Laporte plays a ball over the top for Sadio Mane. He gets away from his defender and goes into the box. The referee blows the whistle for offside before he can trouble the goalkeeper.
Brozovic gets the ball and lays it off for Ronaldo at the edge of the box. He takes a shot first time and forces the opposition keeper to make a decent save to his right.
Corner for Al Nassr. The cross from Alex Telles finds Ronaldo inside the box. He mistimes his jump and heads the ball over the bar. What a chance for Ronaldo.
Opportunity at the other end. Fabio Martins puts a cross in from the left. Alex Telles jumps but it goes over him to Khaled Narey inside the box. He does not get a clean touch on the ball as it goes past the right post.
Oatvio runs up to a ball played inside the box from the right. He slides into the ball and his shot sails over the bar.
Ronaldo is brought down by Narey in the middle of the pitch. Al Nassr resumes play quickly.
Ronaldo scores!!! A poor back pass from Lisandro Lopez puts the goalkeeper under pressure. He tries to clear it with his left and the ball deflects off Ayman Ahmed. It goes up in the air and is hit by Ronaldo with is left from the right edge of the box. What a goal!!
Otavio plays a beautiful pass through for Ronaldo. He takes a touch past the keeper but finds himself in a tight angle. He back heels the ball and it falls to Ayman Ahmed who forces a brilliant save from the returning Sehic. The flag goes up for offside in the end against Ronaldo.
Alex Telles brings down Hamzi in the middle of the pitch. The freekick is taken quickly but the pressure from the Al Nassr players forces the Al Khaleej to give away a throw.
Brozovic finds Mane at the edge of the box. He tries to play a ball through. It is blocked by a defender and falls back to Mane who takes a shot with his left. Sehic quickly reacts and makes a save to his left to give away a corner.
Alex Telles puts in a low cross from the left. Mane takes a touch inside the box but cannot turn away from the defender to pull off a shot. It is cleared away by the Al Khaleej defense.
Brozovic is shown a card for bringing down Fabio Martins with a tackle from behind. He gets the ball first but the referee shows the card for catching Martins on the follow through.
Corner for Al Khaleej. Lopez gets a head on it but it goes straight up for a goal kick.
Sadio Mane finds Otavio inside the box. He tries to pass it to Brozovic who gets a leg on it. The ball hits a defender in the arm and the referee wastes no time to point to the spot.
Sadio Mane stands over the penalty. And scores!! He goes with power to the right side of the goal. The keeper does not move.
Five minutes plus added time to go in the first half.
Otavio brings down Rodrigues at the edge of the penalty box. Woo Young Jung stands over the freekick which is in shooting range. He tries to go through the wall but the Al Nassr players stand strong and give away a corner.
Two minutes of added time. Telles plays a ball over the top for Ayman Ahmed. He takes a good touch and shoots it past the keeper into the goal. His celebrations are cut short by the offside flag going up on the far side.
The referee blows the whistle for half time.
Al Nassr kicks off the second half, shooting from left to right.
Al Khaleej: Fabio Martins and Mansour Hamzi are replaced by Fawas Al Torais and Abdulelah.
Al Torais is brought down by Al Amri on the left side of the penalty box. The freekick in is cleared away by Ronaldo.
Al Hamsal tries to find Al Torais on the left. His pass is a heavy and it goes out for a goal kick.
Mane brings down a ball on the left side of the box. He cuts it back to an oncoming Ronaldo. he does not take a shot first time and his touch is too heavy as the keeper gathers the ball easily.
Alkhaibari is shown a yellow card for a late challenge on Woo Young Jung.
Ayman Ahmed takes a shot from outside the box with his left. Sehic reads it well and gathers the ball.
Ronaldo scores!! A low cross comes in from the right from Aiman Yahya. Ronaldo receives it at the far post and hits it first time. The keeper makes a save but the rebound again falls to Ronaldo who finishes it off into an empty net.
Al Nassr seems to be in control now. Al Khaleej is trying to break down the opposition’s defense, but cannot seem to keep the ball.
Patient and steady build up from Al Khaleej. Narey puts in a good ball from the right to the middle of the box. Al Torais stretches to get a leg on the ball. He does not catch it well and the ball goes across the goal, away from danger.
Al Nassr: Brozovic is replaced by Ali Al Hassan
Al Khaleej: Rodrigues, Narey and Al Hamsal are replaced by Al Haydar, Al Semeiry and Saif Mosoud
Mane tries to drive with the ball into the box and put it into the middle. He wins a corner for his side. Alex Telles’ ball reaches Laporte who takes a shot while going down. The ball sails over the bar in the end.
Al Khabrani goes down after a challenge from Ronaldo. The referee stops play and indicates towards the sidelines for medical attention. Looks like that’s the end of the night for him. Al Khaleej has already made five substitutions and look like it will see off the match with 10 players.
Mane tries to slip in behind the Al Khaleej defense as a ball is played over the top. The Al Khaleej defense does well to spot the run and intercept the corss.
Al Torais scores!! Al Haydar puts in a cross from the right into the six-yard box. Al Torias is there for an easy tap in past Ospina.
Al Nassr: Alkhaibari, Al Ghannam, Ayman Ahmed and Al Amri are replaced by Al Sulaiyim, Nawaf Boushal, Al Aliwa and Al Fatil
Ospina comes off his line to clear the ball away during an Al Khaleej attack. The ball goes to an Al Khaleej player who takes a shot from way out. Al Fatil does well to track back and stop the ball at the goal line.
Sadio Mane is shown a yellow card for a tussle with Al Haydar.
A cross comes into the box from Otavio. Laporte goes up and gets his head on the ball. The goalkeeper gets a faint touch on the ball to direct it towards the right post.
Five minutes of added time to go.
Al Nassr is in control now, keeping the ball away from the opposition, and waiting for the time to run out.
The referee blows the whistle for full time and that’s it for the night. Al Nassr will face Al Hilal in the final of the Kings’s Cup on May 31 in Jeddah.
Source: sportstar.thehindu.com
