After some late drama in a tense match at King Abdullah Sport City, Al-Hilal won the King’s Cup trophy on penalties at Al-Nassr’s cost.

Ronaldo and his Al-Nassr teammates had the advantage early in the match as they attempted to establish themselves as the 2023–24 Saudi Pro League victors. The advantage did not last long, though, as Aleksandar Mitrovic of Al-Hilal dribbled off to the back post to head the first goal past David Ospina.
Just before halftime, Bono produced a great stop to deny Ronaldo, just as Al-Nassr’s anger started to boil over. After the restart, things got worse for them as referee Dario Herrera showed Ospina the red card.
After a deft move by Al-Hilal exposed their opponents, the former Arsenal goalkeeper touched the ball outside of his area in an attempt to stop Malcom, who was through on goal.
With three minutes remaining, Ali Albulayhi received his second yellow card of the game, seemingly ending Luis Castro’s team’s chances of winning. In the next play, Ayman Yahya tied the score, and the referee then gave Kalidou Koulibaly his marching orders as well. In a heartbeat, Al-Hilal had lost both of their center backs.
Since neither team was able to win the match in extra time, the King’s Cup would be decided by penalties. First up, Ruben Neves struck the post with his shot before Alex Telles was unable to score either. Then, Mitrovic converted from the penalty spot with ease, and naturally, Ronaldo added the goal. Both teams scored the great majority of their remaining penalties until Meshari Al Nember, an Al-Nassr replacement who had an opportunity to win it in extra time, was unable to convert.
DID YOU KNOW?
Before today’s final, Al-Hilal had won the King’s Cup ten times; their most recent victory came from the previous season. Al-Nassr has six victories in the competition; their last trophy haul came in 1990.

THE MVP: BONO
The Morccan goalie rediscovered his best form from the World Cup in Qatar in 2022. Throughout the first ninety minutes, he consistently stopped Ronaldo and Otavio, and in the shootout, he produced a huge save to keep Al-Hilal in the game. He is the reason they won.
THE BIG LOSER: ALI AL BULAYHI
Al Bulayhi made the game go out of control while it seemed to be under control. Their chance to win the game was completely lost when Koulibaly also left, and Yahya equalized shortly after he was sent out.
The initial dismissal was the result of an unnecessary fight that was readily preventable. Even while it didn’t ultimately cost his team, it was nevertheless reckless.
For both teams, the 2023–24 season has now ended. With their respective national teams, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruben Neves, Otavio, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Mitrovic, and Marcelo Brozovic will now turn their attention to Euro 2024. David Ospina will travel with Colombia to the Copa America.