JEDDAH, 28 December 2005 — Four matches were played in the first round of the Crown Prince Cup soccer tournament in various cities of the Kingdom last night.
Local favorites Al-Ahli, taking advantage of playing in front of home crowd, outclassed visitors Al-Abha 4-0, in a match that was completely one-sided.
The highlight of the game was midfielder Misfer Al-Jasim’s three beautiful goals.
Asian champions Al-Ittihad won their opening match against Al-Riyadh in Riyadh.
Cameroon’s Job struck in the last minute of the second half and gave his team a 1-0 win over Riyadh.
Al-Nasr, despite playing with 10 players throughout the second half, blanked Al-Ittifaq 1-0 in Dammam. Forward Saad Al-Zahrani struck a brilliant shot from outside of the penalty box in the last minutes of the match, handing Nasr a fine victory.
In the fourth match, Al-Wehda, playing in front of boisterous home crowd, outplayed visitors Al-Faisaly 2-1 in Makkah.
Di Stefano Heart Operation Planned for Today
Doctors plan to perform a heart bypass operation on former Real Madrid great Alfredo Di Stefano today if his condition remains stable, the hospital said yesterday. Reuters adds.
The 79-year-old Argentine was admitted to hospital after a heart attack on Saturday. Doctors postponed planned surgery on Monday because he had suffered a fever.
“In the last 24 hours, and though the prognosis remains serious, there has been an improvement in his circulation,” the statement from Valencia’s La Fe hospital said.
