The semi-finals of the Saudi King's Cup in midweek saw Riyadh Crescent beat Jeddah United 2-1 to reach the final on matchday, a day when Riyadh triumphed at home to Sehat Bay. The two teams had only faced each other once four days ago, with Riyadh Victory winning hard-fought thanks to a goal from Aymeric Laporte. In this game, Ronaldo was in full form, scoring a brace, and selflessly conceded a penalty to Mane, and Riyadh won 3-1 against the opponent and successfully advanced to the final.
In order to keep their only hope of winning the title, Riyadh Victory played the main force in this game, in a 3-4-3 formation, Cristiano Ronaldo continued to sit in the center, Mane and Otavio were separated on either side, Brozovic and Telles were in the midfield quartet, Laporte led the three-centre-back system, and Ospina continued to guard the goal.
As the referee's whistle blew, Riyadh Victory launched an attack amid the cheers of the fans. Just five minutes into the opening game, Brozovic inserted a cross, and Ronaldo fired a shot from the top of the penalty area, which was saved by the goalkeeper of Sehat Bay. In the 8th minute, Telles crossed from a corner, and Ronaldo jumped high to head the goal, grazing the crossbar and going out of bounds.
In the 17th minute, Riyadh Victory broke the deadlock: Xie Xiqi made a mistake in the backfield, Ronaldo showed a historic shooting skill, turned directly and volleyed, and accurately sent the ball into the far corner, 1-0!
In the 19th minute, Riyadh Victory made persistent efforts, Otavio obliquely blocked the penalty area on the right side, Ronaldo knocked back with his heel, Mane's close-range shot was saved, and Yahya shot flew in front of the goal!
In the 37th minute, Otavio passed the ball in an inverted triangle on the left side of the penalty area, Brozovic inserted the shot and was blocked by the opposing defender with his hand, and the referee did not hesitate to award a penalty. Cristiano Ronaldo conceded the penalty and Sadio Mane slotted it in one fell swoop to give Riyadh a 2-0 lead.
In stoppage time, Ayman Yahya picked up a long cross and scored a single shot, but unfortunately it was offside. After the first 45 minutes, Riyadh Victory returned to the dressing room with a two-goal advantage.
In the 57th minute, Ghanem crossed from the right, Ayman Yahya skillfully made the ball, Ronaldo's push at the back point was saved, and he scored a brace to complete the brace, and Riyadh Victory led 3-0.
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 44 goals in 45 appearances for Riyadh Victory this season, along with 13 assists and has been directly involved in 57 goals. In addition, Ronaldo has scored 424 goals since the age of 30, and his career total has increased to 887 goals, continuing to be the top scorer in history.
With a big lead, Riyadh Victory clearly felt that the victory was in their hands, and the defensive end once again made the mistake of being distracted. In the 82nd minute, Tejes received a cross from the right side of his teammate and easily hit the shot in front of the goal, but Ospina could not do anything about it, and the score became 3-1!
In the 85th minute, Mane inserted from behind, selflessly crossed in the penalty area, Aliva easily ate the cake, and the referee signaled that the former was offside, and the goal was invalid. In the 91st minute, Otavio crossed from the right, and Laporte's header hit the post and popped up!
With a 3-1 win over Saihat Bay, Riyadh won at home and successfully advanced to the final, where it will compete with its rival Riyadh Crescent for the final title.