Mass brawl breaks out after Al Nassr star tries to plant flag after winning cup

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A mass brawl broke out in Saudi Arabia after Al Nassr star Anderson Talisca attempted to plant a flag in the pitch following his win over Riyadh rivals Al Hilal in the Arab Champions Cup final.

Cristiano Ronaldo came to Al Nassr's rescue with a match-winning brace at King Fahd Sports City Stadium in Ta'if, where the Portugal talisman equalised before bagging an extra-time decider. However, the most hectic scenes were reserved for after the full-time whistle.

That's when team-mate Talisca stormed the field with a jumbo-sized flag sporting the club's yellow-and-blue colours. The Brazilian attempted to plant the mast on the halfway spot, only to be intercepted by Al Hilal defender Ali Al-Bulaihi, who tried to wrestle it from his foe.

A skirmish between the pair ensued as Al-Bulaihi sought to defend his club's honour, with a sea of players and backroom members from both sides soon flooding the centre circle. The sight made for an unsavoury ending to what should have been a celebration of Arabian football.

READ MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo bags two as he finally wins trophy with Al Nassr – but suffers injury

Talisca's actions appear to have been motivated by simmering tensions that erupted from an identical incident between the two teams almost two years ago. Al Hilal beat Al Nassr by the same 2-1 socreline in the semi-finals of that year's Asian Champions League, and Al-Bulaihi planted a flag with his club's colours in the centre of the pitch at Mrsool Park in Riyadh.

Clearly one to bear a grudge, Talisca snatched his opportunity to get his own-back on a rival, who happened to be stood at the centre circle when the madness ensued. The two nemeses were each in the hunt for the Saudi Pro League title last season, but Al Ittihad pipped both to the crown.

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It was a bittersweet moment for Al Nassr, who kicked their season off in style by bagging Ronaldo his first piece of silverware in Saudi Arabia. However, his short-term future now appears to be in doubt after he came off with an injury late on in the Champions Cup final.

Summer signings Sadio Mane and Marcelo Brozovic, Seko Fofana and Alex Telles all started for the Knights of Najd. Meanwhile, marquee men Ruben Neves, Kalidou Koulibaly, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Malcom each made the XI for Al Hilal.

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Despite adding a trophy to their collection, Al Nassr will leave Saturday's final sweating over the fitness of key man Ronaldo. The nine-time Saudi league champions finished just five points off the title last term and will be hopefully of closing that gap after a summer of change.

The Saudi Pro League promises to be a more attractive spectacle in the coming campaign after a flurry of major signings from Europe. And the rivalry between Al Nassr and Al Hilal will be one storyline in particular worth keeping a close eye on.

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