"Forever humbling Ronaldo" "Still don't get why he left Europe" - Fans hail Al-Hilal star for his heroics in King's Cup final against Al-Nassr
Fans were impressed with Al-Hilal goalkeeper Yassine Bounou's performance in the final of the King Cup of Champions against Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr on Friday, May 31. The match went to penalties as the score remained 1-1 even after extra time. Al-Hilal bagged a 5-4 win on penalties, claiming another trophy for the season after winning the Saudi Pro League.
Al-Hilal forward Aleksandar Mitrovic opened the scoring in the seventh minute. Al-Nassr were reduced to 10 men when goalkeeper David Ospina received a straight red card in the 56th minute.
Ayman Yahya scored the equalizer for the Knights of the Najd in the 88th minute. Al-Hilal defender Kalidou Koulibaly was sent off in the 90th minute after receiving two yellow cards.
Both clubs failed to net in the extra time as the match headed to penalties. Both sides missed their first penalties. After the fifth shot, they were tied 4-4. With the sixth penalty again being blank for both teams, Nasser Al-Dawsari netted the final one for Al-Hilal while Al-Nassr's Meshari Al-Nemer failed to score.
Fans flooded social media with posts appreciating Yassine Bounou's excellent saves and overall gameplay. The Moroccan goalkeeper came to the Saudi side in 2023 from La Liga club Sevilla.
While some fans questioned why the shot-stopper left playing in Europe, others spoke about his earlier encounters against Cristiano Ronaldo.
Here is a collection of their posts on X:
One fan wrote:
"Yassin Bounou is simply incredible. I still don't get why he left Europe, he still has loads of potential #AlHilal"
Another added:
"Bounou is a top 3 keeper in the world btw"
"YASSINE BOUNOU the best 💙," chimed in another fan.
One account posted:
"He's a wall, not a goalkeeper. What is this!!!"
Another said:
"Fair play to Yassine Bounou, world class goalkeeper. Al Hilal hit the jackpot with him"
One user wrote:
"Yassine Bounou owns Ronaldo 😭😭😭"
While another wrote:
"Yassine bounou must be haunting ronaldo in his nightmares atp"
Yassine Bounou recently won the 2023-24 Saudi Pro League Goalkeeper of the Season award.
Cristiano Ronaldo recently set new Saudi Pro League scoring record with Al-Nassr
Cristiano Ronaldo recently became the highest goalscorer in a single season in the Saudi Pro League's history. The Portuguese icon broke the record after netting his 35th league goal of the season against Al-Ittihad on Monday, May 27, at the Al-Awwal Stadium.
The 39-year-old forward opened the scoring for Al-Nassr with a left-footed goal just before the end of the first half (45+3'). He then doubled his side's advantage with a header in the 69th minute.
The brace marked his 35th goal of the season, one more than what Abderrazak Hamdallah managed for Al-Nassr in the 2018-19 season.
Cristiano Ronaldo also became the first player in football history to win the Golden Boot in four different leagues (Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, and Saudi Pro League).