Sadio Mane became the talk of social media among Arab fans after his actions in the first 30 minutes of the Al-Nassr vs. Al-Ittihad match in the 2025 Saudi Super Cup semi-final.
The Senegalese international gave Jorge Jesus’s side the lead in the 10th minute, and appeared to be one of Al-Nassr’s best players and the most dangerous to Al-Ittihad’s goal in the match held in Hong Kong.
However, in a very strange way, Mane recklessly tackled Al-Ittihad goalkeeper Hamed Al-Shanqeeti, receiving a fully deserved red card in the 25th minute.
بطاقة حمراء للاعب النصر ساديو ماني في الدقيقة 25 🟥 pic.twitter.com/v9ZsYGbyXn
— رياضة ثمانية (@thmanyahsports) August 19, 2025
Cristiano Ronaldo, as Al-Nassr’s captain, attempted to object, but VAR was firm in ruling that the play merited a red card, especially since Mane clearly intended to attack Al-Shanqeeti, and, strangely, it came from a near-dead ball.
Due to this expulsion, Al-Nassr struggled to recover and finished the Saudi Clasico with ten players, sparking angry reactions toward Mané and the behavior that should not have been tolerated by a player of his experience.
Fortunately for the 33-year-old, Al-Nassr secured victory thanks to a valuable goal from new signing Joao Felix. Mané will certainly miss next Saturday’s final, which will pit Al-Alamy against the winner of the Al-Ahli vs. Al-Qadisiyah match.
