In a nerve-shredding clash under the Hong Kong Stadium lights, Al-Nassr secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Al-Ittihad, booking their place in the Saudi Super Cup final in dramatic fashion.

From the first whistle, Cristiano Ronaldo’s yellow and blue team looked determined to dictate the tempo.

Their early pressure paid dividends, and they broke the deadlock with a moment of sheer quality from Sadio Mané.

Found with space inside the box, the Senegalese star unleashed a volley that, despite a touch from the Ittihad goalkeeper, possessed too much power and found the back of the net, sending the Al-Nassr faithful into raptures.

However, the momentum shifted when Al-Ittihad found their way back into the match with a slick equaliser just minutes later.

Steven Bergwijn, arriving at pace on the left flank, met a cross with a perfectly timed sliding effort.

The match turned on its head later in the first half when Mané was shown a straight red card for a foul on Ittihad keeper Al Shanqiti, forcing Al-Nassr to play the rest of the match with just 10 men.

But Al-Nassr were not to be deterred.

A lightning counter-attack at the hour mark set up by Ronaldo was finished with precision by João Félix, securing a 2-1 win for Al-Nassr and their place in the final.

The journey in Hong Kong continues on Wednesday when Al-Qadsiah and Al-Ahli clash at the Hong Kong Stadium for the right to face Ronaldo and company in the Saudi Super Cup final on August 23.