Report, result and goals as Karim Benzema scores to knock Cristiano Ronaldo’s side out of Kings Cup

Al-Nasr, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, was eliminated from the King’s Cup in the round of 16 after being defeated 2-1 by its rival Al-Ittihad.

Karim Benzema, Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid strike partner, opened the scoring for the visitors before the Portuguese star set up Angelo for the equaliser, but Houssem Aouar scored the winner just before half-time.

Al-Nasr vs Al-Ittihad as it happened

The visitors took the lead first in the 15th minute when Benzema delivered a neat pass from the middle of the penalty area, curling a left-footed shot into the bottom corner after being set up by Moussa Diaby on a quick counter-attack.

Al-Nasr tried to respond, but faced difficulties in penetrating Al-Ittihad’s cohesive defence, as Ronaldo saw a long-range shot blocked by Predrag Rajkovic.

The hosts eventually leveled the game on the half-hour mark through Angelo, who took advantage of a quick counter-attack, burst into the penalty area and fired a powerful left-footed shot into the top corner to make it 1-1.

That goal appeared to have sparked victory, and they enjoyed a blistering period with both Kingsley Coman and Ayman Yahya going close, but neither produced a worthy effort to give their side the lead.

The first half was as hot as you would expect in a derby match. It produced four yellow cards, with Fabinho being booked early for a rash challenge, followed by Abdullah El Khibari, Mohamed Simakan and Aouar later after an altercation between several players.

When it seemed that the two sides would equalize, Al-Ittihad scored another goal in extra time. Mario Mittag sent a clever through ball into the path of Aouar, who timed his run perfectly and shot past Pinto to restore the visitors’ lead.

Ronaldo sought to bring victory back into the match shortly after the start of the second half, as he started from the left side before hitting a cross into the penalty area that was correctly scored by the Al-Ittihad goalkeeper. Kingsley Coman had the opportunity to score, but the striker made a mistake in his line.

The momentum seemed to be swinging towards the hosts just four minutes into the second half, Al-Ittihad right-back Ahmed Al-Julaidan receiving a straight red card after a dangerous jump on Ayman Yahya as the duo led 50-50.

Ronaldo, buoyed by his man advantage, later raced to goal, with the Portuguese star attempting to volley the ball over the Al-Ittihad keeper but was unable to do so. Television replays suggested he may have been offside.

Al-Nasr continued to push for an equaliser, but those hopes were dashed in extra time when Koeman again had the chance to find the net, but the former Bayern Munich star fired over the bar.