"The real honor was Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah's presence in this final, and it's an honor for all athletes," said Prince Khaled.

Prince Khaled praised the true spirit displayed by the two teams throughout the game and also praised the fans who attended the game.

"Ahli deserved to win the game particularly in the first half, however that's football. Ahli players displayed strong nerves in dealing with the penalty shootout and it was this, the steely nerves, that helped them win at the end," said Prince Khaled.

Following an all-Jeddah final on Friday night, fans shared their views, hopes and fears with Arab News.

"This season's victory cannot be described in mere words. As the game progressed into extra time, it was generally felt that Ahli had put in a superb show. I prayed for a goal to seal the game early against Ittihad. It was excruciating to watch the game, but Ahli finally sealed it with penalty kicks," said 25-year-old Mohammad Ali.

"First I would like to congratulate our brothers in the Ahli team. They gave a fantastic performance against a formidable team like Ittihad, who unfortunately did not play well and lost the final. I hope Ittihad will do better in the coming games," said Salem, a 41-year-old Ittihad fan.

"For sure it was an intense experience, we partied till early hours of Saturday. We went to Ahli Club on Tahlia Street and continued cheering the team," said 22-year-old Faris Omar.

He added: "Hardcore fans were camped outside Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium since the early hours of Friday in order to secure seats for this important game. Of course, for Ahli fans it was worth the effort because our team won the final."

"At first it wasn't even conceivable to think we could lose the final. Ittihad is my team and I love it dearly, but on the field the team's performance was not even at par. I am glad that the final was held and cthe up remains in Jeddah," Ittihad fan Yaseer said.