JEDDAH, 29 March 2003 — Al-Ahli entered the final of the Crown Prince Abdullah Cup Soccer Tournament for the second time when they proved more accurate from the spot in the key test of nerves against Al-Nasr at the Prince Faisal ibn Fahd Stadium in Riyadh.
Ahli eventually won 6-5 via the penalty shootout as the match went the distance. Ahli and Nasr were tied 1-1 till regulation time. The teams failed to break the deadlock in the extra sessions and Ahli erupted into joyous celebrations when Khalid Badra beat the Nasr goalkeeper after Al-Janoubi’s shot had ricocheted off the upright. For Ahli, Bosheeb Lembarki, Al-Suweid, Hussein Abdulghani, Saad Al-Dossary were the other scorers in the shootout. For Nasr, Torenio, Naser Al-Halawi, Rock and Cesar were on target.
Both the teams enjoyed repeated periods of dominance though Ahli had more of the ball in the first session. Badra, following a corner, and Talal Al-Meshal both came close in the early quarter for Ahli. And in the 15th minute, Al-Meshal won a penalty for Ahli, as he was brought down inside the box. Lembarki stepped up to score with ease.
Nasr were the more determined side in the latter half and nearly picked up the equalizer in the first minute of the restart but Torenio’s shot skimmed over the crossbar. In the 32nd minute Al-Janoubi sent in a superb cross and Rock rose above a cluster of Ahli players to nod home the equalizer. Though Nasr stamped their authority in the remainder period of the game, they could not get the winner that could have enabled them to advance. In the end the teams had to resort to the penalties, and Ahli proved that they were one better than Nasr on this day.
