JEDDAH, 18 May 2007 — Gulf champions Al-Ahli edged out Al-Nour 24-23 in a thrilling battle yesterday for the Prince Faisal ibn Fahd Cup, the final stage in the Al-Nokhbah Handball Championship at the Prince Naif ibn Abdul Aziz Sporting City in Al-Qatif.
Al-Khaleej placed third with three points, Al-Qadisiya fourth with two points and Al-Wehda fifth with one point.
Ahli raced to a 13-9 lead in the first period but Al-Nour rallied with four unanswered goals before Ahli closed the first period up by two 15-13.
To the delight of the huge crowd that attended the final match, both teams battled fiercely in the second half.
Al-Nour drew level at 16-16 but Bandar Al-Harbi gave the initiative back to 17-16, and it was all a matter of game management for Ahli who doggedly hang on in light of Nour’s repeated forays into enemy territory.
With Ahli ahead 23-21, Al-Nour requested for a timeout and Ali Al-Buaidi blasted in a goal to make the final match a one-point game 23-22.
With 40 seconds to play, Ahli coach Mamdouh Hashim sued for time then Al-Harbi successfully fired a penalty shot to give Ahli a 24-22 lead.
Nour then scored another goal in the dying seconds to set the final score.
Ahli and Al-Nour each had five points each from three matches in the final stage entering Wednesday’s games in which Al-Nour drubbed Qadisiya 32-23 and Ahli downed Al-Khaleej 21-19.
The victories hiked the teams’ tally to seven points and set the stage for the Ahli-Nour final showdown.
Mohammed Al-Matroud, president of Saudi Handball Federation, meanwhile, handed out cash rewards to members of the Saudi national team for winning the Gulf Cup.
Al-Matroud presented awards to Al-Jeel club, winner of the first division league, and second runners-up Al-Hazm and third runners-up Al-Tarraji as well as to the top three youth handball league clubs Al-Safa, Al-Khaleej and Al-Nour during the awarding ceremony.
