Ten-man Al-Nassr saw-off Al-Ittihad 2-1 to reach the final of the Saudi Super Club, as the two PIF-backed SPL giants went head-to-head in Hong Kong in a fixture that further underlined the growing impact of Saudi Arabia's domestic football on global audiences.
Tuesday's semi-final was the the first of three Super Cup matches being played at the Hong Kong Stadium, with Al-Nassr now set to play the winner of Al-Qadsiah and Al-Ahli in Saturday's final.
The match drew thousands of supporters to Hong Kong's national stadium, with thousands more gathering on the streets in the hope of catching a glimpse of both superstar-packed sides, who together include the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kanté.
On the pitch and it was a quick fire start from the Riyadh side, with former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane opening the scoring after just ten minutes.
However, Al-Ittihad responded sharply, with Steven Bergwijn equalizing for the reigning SPL champions just six minutes later.
For Mane, more drama was to follow. With just 25 minutes played, the Senegalese was given a straight red card for what appeared to be a stamp on Mohammed Al-Shanqiti, following intervention from VAR. Al-Nassr would see out the remaining 65 minutes with ten-men.
They would, however, be undaunted - and found a new hero in former Chelsea striker Joao Felix, who, on what was an excellent competitive debut for his new club, slotted home the winner with half-an-hour left to play.
Another huge moment for the growth of Saudi football - and why it matters
The staging of an all-Saudi contest outside the Kingdom represents the latest significant development for the continued growth of Saudi football. Until recently, the Saudi Pro League’s international footprint was limited largely to broadcasting deals and the growing list of high-profile foreign players joining clubs. Tuesday's match showed a different strategy: taking the league’s biggest rivalries directly to overseas fans, and for competitive matches.
For Hong Kong, the event offered a rare chance to host two of the Middle East’s most prominent clubs. For Saudi football, it demonstrated that interest in its top teams extends well beyond domestic supporters, with large numbers turning out to watch a league clash relocated thousands of miles away.
The fixture is part of a broader push to globalize Saudi football. With major investment in players, coaches, and infrastructure over the past two years, the league is positioning itself as a rising presence in world football. Staging marquee matches like the Saudi Super Cup internationally helps build visibility and offers fans in Asia and beyond a closer connection to Saudi clubs.
The trip to Hong Kong comes just two months after Al-Hilal's landmark 4-3 victory over Manchester City in the FIFA Club World Cup's round-of-16 match in the USA, a triumph which acted as a significant yard-stick in measuring how far Saudi football has already developed.
