JEDDAH, 30 April 2005 — Al-Qadisiya qualified for the final of the Crown Prince Cup Soccer competition after drawing 1-1 with Al-Nasr in the return leg of the semifinals yesterday at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh. They had gone into the match with a 2-1 edge and won 3-2 on aggregate.
Nasr, under pressure after dropping the first-leg encounter in Dammam 2-1, had to win here to qualify for the final. Nasr pushed forward from the beginning forcing the Qadisiya team to play virtually on their half for the majority of the game.
Qadisiya had two golden moments during the early part of the proceedings and cashed in on one of them.
Yousif Salem nearly scored the first goal in the 14th minute when he received a nice cross in front of the goal but failed to put it in the back of the net.
No sooner the scare had subsided, the large Nasr fans, that attended the game, were stunned into near silence when Qadisiya, against the run of play, scored in the 18th minute through Yousif Salem.
Yousif once again received a nice cross inside the penalty box but this time he had positioned himself neatly to head the ball home.
Nasr now needing to overcome a two-goal deficit, threw everything into the attack. Qadisiya swiftly fell back to soak up the pressure and relied on counter thrusts. Nasr nearly scored when a Qadisiya defender headed the ball back to his goalkeeper Hani, who was caught unawares, managed to clear the ball out of harm’s way in the 38th minute.
Then Badr Al-Hagbani’s shot in the 57th minute went inches wide from the post to the agony of Nasr player and fans alike. Nasr scored a late goal from a penalty kick in the 89th minute through Majed Al-Dossari. Spurred on by this goal, Nasr quickened their pace of attack in the remaining six minutes, which included the added time, but their efforts were in vain.
Qadisiya managed to hold on despite losing attacker Abdu Hakami, who was shown the red card for kicking a Nasr player.
Qadisiya coach Al-Ajlani praised the team for their effort. “Their team work enabled them to cross this hurdle,” he said, adding that he knew the weak points of Nasr and his knowledge of how Nasr would play helped him plan for the day.
He said that he prepared a plan that would shackle the Nasr attack throughout the match, and the team stuck to the script.
Nasr Club President Mamdoh ibn Abdulrahman said that Qadisiya deserved to win the game and qualify.
He said that the coach is not to blame because he did what he could. He also said that there is no move to replace the coach especially since Nasr still have a chance for the silverware in King Fahd Cup this season.
Today, Al-Ittihad will host Al-Hilal at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal stadium in Jeddah to determine who will play Qadisiya in the final.
Asia Must Wrest Cup Berths From Europe, Says Vellapan
Asia should aim to take away World Cup places from Europe in a push to improve the continent’s standards, outgoing Asian Football Confederation (AFC) general secretary Peter Velappan said from Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Velappan, who is to be replaced by fellow Malaysian Paul Mony as the AFC’s top administrator in January, said the world could no longer belittle Asian football, especially after its excellent performance in the 2002 World Cup.
With Australia set to strengthen Asia’s ranks with a likely move from Oceania to the AFC in the near future, the 69-year-old said Asian countries should look to increase their current World Cup allocation of four and a half places.
“Nobody should bully or short-change Asia because it is going to be the continent of the future,” said Velappan.
“It is going to be an influential part of world football.
“As the quality of our players and teams continues to improve, we should be looking at getting as many places as Europe.
We should not be prepared to stay with four or five places forever.”
In the 2002 tournament, co-hosts South Korea reached the semifinals while Japan advanced to the last 16.
Velappan famously led a walkout of Asian delegates during the 1999 FIFA Congress in Los Angeles when the world governing body gave Asia just two qualifying places for 2002 in addition to the co-hosts’ automatic berths.
For the 2006 World Cup, Asia has four automatic places and could secure a fifth in a playoff against a team from the CONCACAF region. Europe has 13 plus hosts Germany.
“I have dedicated my life to football in Asia and will continue to do that. I have stood firm for Asia,” said Velappan, AFC general secretary for 27 years during which he has overseen the body’s growth from a one-man show to an organization with around 100 staff.
