The Saudi Super Cup Final descended into a scene of violence and chaos as Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad vied for victory on Thursday night, with a fan even whipping a player in the madness!
Al-Hilal took on their fierce rivals Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Super Cup Final on Thursday night, achieving a devastating 4-1 victory to keep hopes alive of a never-before-seen quadruple.
The side are currently top of the Saudi Pro League, and are still competing for the Asian Champions League and King’s Cup – with the first of a potential four trophies won on Thursday in the Saudi Super Cup.
Ex-Chelsea man Kalidou Koulibaly, and former Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves were both included in Al-Hilal’s starting lineup for the 4-1 win.
Al-Ittihad’s ranks were no less star-studded, with former Real Madrid hitman Karim Benzema and Ex-Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante starting for them on Thursday night.
Al-Hilal initially went ahead in the game via Brazilian forward Malcolm, but this would be cancelled out by a finish from Al-Ittihad’s Hamdallah.
Salem Aldawsari took the new Saudi Super Cup champions ahead once more, followed up with another finish from Malcolm and a final goal from Nasser Aldawsari to seal the side’s first trophy of a potential four.
Sadly, as is often the case in such high profile rivalries, the scoreline was not the only newsworthy event of the evening on Thursday.
Following the final whistle, Al-Ittihad goal scorer Malcolm was spotted in an altercation with a fan on the sidelines. Reports suggest Malcolm launched a water bottle at the fan, who the retaliated by whipping the Brazilian!
Club staff, players, and security rushed in to protect the player during the altercation as tempers flared following the dominating victory by Al-Hilal.
Sadly, this is not the first time such a final has defended into chaos – last year saw fans crushed to death at the Arabian Gulf Cup Final, and the infamous Port Said Riots occurred roughly a decade earlier during an Egyptian Premier League matchup.
The side remain top of the Saudi Pro League, are due to play in the semi-finals of the Asian Champions League, as well as the King’s Cup – a quadruple would put them in history books as the first side to achieve such a thing.
