JEDDAH, 11 September 2004 — Al-Ahli of Jeddah suffered yet another defeat, this time against Al-Nasr of Riyadh 3-1 in the King Fahd Cup Soccer Tournament at Prince Faisal ibn Fahd Stadium in Riyadh.
Both sides showed flair in the midfield and in the offense but Nasr was more organized. Also its defense soaked up the Ahli pressure effortlessly, while Ahli’s defense left gaping holes for Nasr to exploit. That in the end proved the difference.
The first goal of the match was an own goal when Nasr’s winger Bandar Tamim sent in a fine cross and Ahli defender Emad Siddiq, in a rush to clear, put the ball into his own goal in the 10th minute of the match.
Ahli were stunned with the second goal 7 minutes later , once again following a defensive lapse. And from this they never really recovered. The Nasr goal was a gem with Bandar Tamim making a fine flanking run on the left before essaying a superb defense-splitting pass from the corner. With Saad Al-Harthi given plenty of space by the Ahli defense, the onrushing forward smashed a classic first-timer past the bemused Ahli goalkeeper.
Ahli managed to score their lone goal in the 34th minute through Brazilian attacker Kim. Ahli pressed for the equalizer and came close on many occasions. But Nasr put the match beyond them with their third goal in the 65th minute by Badr Al-Hagbani. Nasr is in second place with 9 points behind Al-Shabab on goal difference while Ahli remain in 9th position with three points from one win. Ahli will play next Wednesday in Jeddah against Al-Hilal of Riyadh.
In Thursday’s games, Shabab continued to set the pace after winning against Riyadh of Riyadh 1-0 in a match played at Prince Faisal ibn Fahd Stadium. The only goal of the game came in the 31st minute through Fahd Falatah. Shabab are in first position with 9 points. Riyadh suffered their second loss, and remain in the 11th position with 1 point from one draw.
In the other match, Al-Taie continued to show resurgence with a victory against Al-Ohod of Madinah 2-0 in a game played in Hail. Both goals came in the second half in the 58th and 76th minutes through Idrees Kolibali. Taie is in third position with 6 points. Ohod suffered their third loss and remain at the bottom with no points.
Al-Ansar of Madinah managed to secure the their first win in the tournament after winning 1-0 against Al-Wehda of Makkah in a game played at Prince Muhammad ibn Abdul Aziz Stadium in Madinah. The game fast-paced. Wehda, after their big win against Ahli 3-0 last week in Makkah, were in an attacking mode, but Ansar attacker Muhammad Nami shattered Wehda’s dreams with the 57th minute winner. Wehda’s efforts to secure the equalizer foundered against the solid Ansar defense. Ansar now have 4 points while Wehda have 3 points.
