This morning, Al Ahli Saudi hosted Abha at home in the King’s Cup round of 16. Put on the comparison scale, the home team is rated better as it possesses a quality staff, including many players who have fought in Europe.
Coach Matthias Jaissle fielded a squad with many good players. Roberto Firmino plays highest in attack. Supporting the Brazilian striker is the trio of Riyad Mahrez, Firas Al-Buraikan, and Allan Saint-Maximin.
In the midfield, Al Ahli has the presence of young talent Gabri Veiga and former Barcelona player Franck Kessie. Meanwhile, midfielder Ibañez (who used to play for AS Roma) and Edouard Mendy (who played for Chelsea) are two notable faces.
Al Ahli proactively took control of the match after the opening whistle. However, away team Abha suddenly scored a goal to take the lead. Minute 45+2′, starting from a corner on the left wing, Karl Toko Ekambi headed the assist for Ahmed Abdu Jaber to connect, shaking the Al Ahli net. The score is 1-0 for Abha.
Mahrez’s brilliance was not enough to help Al Ahli win.
However, the joy was short-lived for the away team. Minute 45+8′, Mahrez equalized the score 1-1 for Al Ahli after a successful penalty kick. At the end of the first 45 minutes, the two teams drew 1-1.
Entering the second half, the away team unfortunately lost someone. In the 53rd minute, Zakaria Sami Al Sudani received a direct red card after a foul on Firmino.
With 10 players on the field, Abha played resiliently and scored the second goal. In the 67th minute, starting from a careless header by an Al Ahli player, Karl Toko Ekambi took advantage of the opportunity to shoot into Mendy’s net. The away team Abha took a 2-1 lead.
Minute 90+3′, the away team had 9 players on the field when Francois Kamano received his second yellow card and left the field. However, Abha secured the final advantage, won 2-1 against Al Ahlithereby reaching the quarterfinals.
Final score: Al Ahli 1-2 Abha.
Mr. Nguyen | 04:47 November 1, 2023
