JEDDAH, 23 March 2008 — Al-Nasr set up a showdown with Al-Hilal in the final of the Prince Faisal ibn Fahd Cup yesterday following contrasting victories. While Hilal coasted to a solitary goal win over Al-Ahli at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah, Nasr were made to go the extra mile to clinch their spot by Al-Shabab.
An 83rd minute strike by Muhammad Al-Shamrani kept Nasr’s hopes alive against Shabab in the other semifinal at the Prince Faisal ibn Fahd Stadium in Riyadh. The goal put the teams level 2-2 at regulation time, after Shabab had switched ends with a 2-1 edge at the break.
The two sessions of extra time failed to break the stalemate and the match was then decided via the penalty shootout. And ironically the last strike by Shabab captain Saleh Siddiq bounced out of touch after crashing the bar to leave Nasr players and fans jubilant.
Earlier, Shamrani, Abdo Barnawi, Elton Jose, Ibrahim Shahrawi and Ahmad Al-Bahri scored from the spot for Nasr. For Shabab, Ali Otaif, Hussain Muaz, Ahmad Otaif and Marcello Camacho matched Nasr shot for shot till Saleh’s bouncer.
The match was a sea-saw affair and Nasr could have sealed the match with just five minutes left in the second extra session. But Majed Hazzazi’s superb volley found the top bar and rebounded out of harm’s way.
Earlier, Nasr were quick on target when Ryan Belal put them ahead in the fourth minute. Shabab, slow to find their feet, struck twice within the space of six minutes to ease into the driver’s seat. First Ali Eateef was on mark in the 13th minute and then in the 19th minute Siddiq gave them the lead.
In a match that saw the action swinging from end-to-end, Shabab had the better of the exchanges in the midfield. But one slip late in the match saw their grip on the final berth loosened.
The Hilal-Ahli match was a one-sided affair, with the match-winner being scored by Hasan Khairat in the 68th minute. Khairat latched onto a poor defensive clearance, following a free-kick, and slammed the ball past the hapless Ahli goalkeeper.
This is the second final Hilal will be contesting this season. They have already won the Crown Prince Cup competition, defeating Al-Ittifaq in the final in Riyadh.
Hilal controlled the tempo of the game throughout with some clean passing. Ahli midfielders were left chasing the ball for the majority of the game as Hilal varied the pace and repeatedly switched the line of attack. It was only the fact that the Ahli defense managed to soak up the pressure that enabled Ahli to keep the scoreline decent.
Ahli must be ruing the close chance in the dying minutes, when a set piece strike from Hussein Abdul Ghani thudded the crossbar and rebounded into play. But before the Ahli attack could react, Hilal cleared the danger and sealed a clinical victory. Ahli’s miserable day ended with a 87th minute sending off of Juwain Al-Bishi for dangerous play.
Ahli’s coach Nebusha will be facing fresh calls for his sacking after the Jeddah-based outfit exited from the third Saudi competition. Ahli failed to make an impression in the Saudi Soccer League, the Crown Prince Cup and, now, this event. They also fared poorly in the AFC Champions League.
