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 in space inside the box, the Senegalese star unleashed a volley that, despite a touch from the Ittihad goalkeeper, possessed too much power, rippling the net to send the Al-Nassr faithful into raptures.
However, the momentum shifted before the break.
Al-Ittihad found their way back into the tie with a slick equaliser.
Steven Bergwijn, arriving at pace on the left flank, met a cross with a perfectly timed sliding effort that flew into the back of the net, ensuring the sides went into half-time locked at 1-1.
The match turned on its head moments into the second half when Mané was shown a straight red card for a foul on Ittihad keeper Al Shanqiti, forcing Al-Nassr to play the entire remainder of the match with just ten men.
A lightning counter-attack was finished with precision by João Félix, sending the team into 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 Al-Nassr in the Saudi Super Cup final on August 23.