JEDDAH, 2 February 2006 — Where others had failed, Al-Ahli succeeded yet again beating Al-Shabab 2-1 in the semifinal first leg last night in the Crown Prince Cup soccer tournament.
Malek Moaz headed in a beautiful lob pass from Hussain Abdul Ghani in the 84th minute for the game-clinching goal that gave Ahli their second success against Shabab in the season.
On Jan. 20 , Ahli made Shabab taste their first defeat in the Saudi soccer league on the same scoreline.
Playing in a hostile territory in Riyadh, Ahli were first to score in the 19th minute courtesy of Yugoslav striker Denovitch.
Denovitch received a cleaver pass inside the penalty box and he put the ball in the left hand side of the goalie. The same player gifted Shabab with his own goal in the 45th minute from a corner kick. His attempt to clear the ball from a corner kick was deflected back in the Ahli net.
Moaz’s header sailed above the head of the lunging Shabab goalie and into the net. All Shabab attempts in the closing minutes were met by strong Ahli defense.
Al-Hilal of Riyadh and Al-Weha of Makkah open their own semifinal series at Prince Faisal ibn Fadh Stadium in Riyadh today.
Hilal reached the semifinal after defeating Al-Qadisiya 2-0 in Dammam while Wehda advanced with a 1-0 victory over Nasr 1-0 in Makkah.
With a one-goal lead, Ahli face Shabab in the second leg deciding match on Sunday at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah.
