JEDDAH, 24 May 2004 — Al-Ahli of Jeddah knocked Al-Hilal of Riyadh out of the King Fahd Cup Soccer competition with a 5-1 victory in a match that was dominated by Ahli at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh. The feature of the match was a fine hat trick by Rogerio, whose sure shots helped the Jeddah outfit hold sway.
Ahli will meet Al-Shabab in the stepladder knockout phase in Riyadh next Thursday. The winner of the game will then take on Al-Ittihad in the final.
Yesterday the action was reserved for the second session as the two sides took time to settle.
Hilal were the more dangerous as their players were determined to rebound from the worst loss that Hilal ever suffered against Sharjah in the ongoing Arab League. Hilal’s attackers, Trawri and Sisi, looked dangerous and almost scored twice when they managed to outpace the Ahli defense.
Ahli, meanwhile, foundered against a strong Hilal defense but secured their first goal in the 19th minute from a penalty kick. Ahli midfielder Saleh Al-Muhammadi was brought down in the penalty box and Hussein Abdul Ghani scored from the spot.
Hilal swiftly pushed forward knowing fully well that a loss would mean a season with no laurels, and their urgency fetched them the equalizer in the 32nd minute through Trawri.
The second half was different with Ahli calling the shots. And the flood of goals began from the 50th minute. Rogerio struck the second and in the 68th minute, Ahli were awarded a second penalty with the Hilal goalie Muhammad Al-Daiei given his marching orders with a red card.
Rogerio converted the penalty kick and, Hilal, with a defense without Daiei, simply buckled.
In the 80th minute and from a nice pass by Kim, Rogerio completed his hat trick and the fourth for Ahli. Kim then turned scorer following a nice solo effort. He cut past four Hilal defenders to slot in the goal with a crisp shot.
