But after the exhausting nonstop action at the middle,
Ahli proved more adept in holding their nerves in the test from the spot in the
penalty shootout. They managed to rack
up four in their five chances in the penalty set, while Ittihad managed two in
their first four strike to see their arch rivals take the King’s Cup of
Champions silverware. The margin of 4-2 sent the Ahli players and fans
delirious as they managed to beat the defending champions.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah awarded
Ahli the Cup.
After the match, Prince Fahd bin Khaled, Ahli club
president, thanked all fans for their constant support and also the players
their gritty performance in the field.
He noted the efforts of Prince Khaled ibn Abdullah, honorary
president of Ahli club, in the team’s success, stressing, “He was the one
working silently behind the scenes in supporting Ahli every step of the way.”
This was the 11th final between the two teams. The victory
clinched a berth for Ahli in the AFC Champions League.
Ahli and Ittihad fans began filling the stadium and
cheering hours before the game started. Many sports critics and writers favored
Ittihad to win the final given the fact that Ittihad had been performing
steadily in the league, while Ahli’s showing throughout the season had been
disappointing.
But a tenacious Ahli proved everybody wrong on Friday to
crown a disappointing season with a super win.
Throughout the match, Ahli was in control while they also
managed to put the shackles on Ittihad’s superstar Muhammad Nur. Ittihad’s
over-reliance on Nur was exposed when his fadeaway performance on Friday left a
vacuum in Ittihad midfield.
In the first half, Ahli came close on more than one
occasion through star striker Victor. Though Ittihad gained the advantage and
managed to take control of the midfield in the latter part of the half, it was
Ahli who called the shots.
In the 32nd minute, Ahli nearly struck through a Victor header,
but Ittihad goalkeeper Mabrouk Zaid managed to keep the scoresheet clean with a
superb save.
Ittihad came back from the break a more determined side
and looked more dangerous with the introduction of the striker Naif Hazzazi.
Ahli lost their edge when star striker Emad Al-Hosani was substituted with
Abdul Raheem Jizawi giving the Ittihad defense a respite from the constant
stream of attacks.
It was then that Ittihad were starting to look more menacing.
Paulo George blasted a fine shot from inside the penalty box in the 70th minute
and three minutes later Sultan Al-Numari looked a golden chance in the mouth by
a wasting a close range effort. Al-Numari had only the goalkeeper to beat, but
the former shot straight to the goalie.
Ittihad sustained their search for a winner by pushing
forward in the later stages of the final, but all the attempts was met by a well
organized defense line led by star defender Jufain Al-Beshi.
In the penalty kicks, Ahli sealed the game after scoring
four goals out of five while Ittihad missed two goals from four. For Ahli, Marchino, Jufain, Nikola Petkovic
and Victor scored, while Mansour Al-Harbi missed. For Ittihad, Saud Kariri,
Usama Al-Muwallad missed, while Rashid Al-Raheeb and Nur struck.
With Victor’s
strike finding the back of the net Ahli fans rushed the stadium and cheered
their palyers. Fans also converged on
the Ahli club on Tahliya Street for a long night of celebration.
Ahli fan Abdullah Al-Hadrami was all praise for the
players for their performance.
He said, “Throughout the season we were sad that Ahli
failed to perform. I have to admit that I was almost certain that Ittihad would
win with many goals. However, today, Ahli
players surprised us with their fine performance in the field especially the
defense that was our weak link. I am happy and I am going to celebrate. We will
forget all our pains, this is the best gift ever to the fans by the players.”
Al-Amin Mahmoud said that when it comes to the final, Ahli
is different. He said, “I was certain that we will win. The reason is that
Ittihad was certain of winning. They were overconfident because everybody made
them the favorites. They all said that they will crush Ahli. They were drugged
by their media and they paid the price.”
“This should be a lesson to all teams playing. This is
football. If you do not respect the team then you will be served. They did not
deserve to win. Where was Muhammad Nur? How come he disappeared in the match? I
congratulate all Ahli fans and I will tell them to go out and celebrate.
Tonight is Ahli’s night,” he added.
