Al-Hilal Advances to the King of Saudi Football Cup Final After Beating Al-Ittihad in El Clasico

The only goal of the match was scored by the Egyptian International Federation defender Ahmed Hegazy by mistake in his own goal (106).

Al-Hilal, who reached the final No. 19 in its history, will meet the winner of the Monday match between Al-Nasr and Al-Wehda at Marsool Park Stadium in Riyadh..

Coaches’ remarks

• The Argentine coach of Al Hilal, Ramon Dias, said in the press conference after the match: “Our confrontation against Al-Ittihad was difficult, as is the case with the matches of the two teams.” He added, “We faced a difficult team and we are happy to achieve this result.“.
• On the other hand, the Portuguese coach of the federation, Nuno Santo, attributed the loss to the lack of focus in some periods of the match.
• He said, “The players performed collectively and suffered from a lack of focus in some periods of the match, and the result was not expected.”“.
• He added, “Despite the loss, we should be proud of what the team did, and I thank the fans for supporting the team throughout the match“.
• He continued, “Our goal was to control the course of the match, and we were able to decide its result in the regular time. Our group spirit is high and this is the team spirit that we need.”“.

The course of the match

• Al-Hilal rushed into the attack from the start, and Salman Al-Faraj hit a powerful ball over the crossbar (7), and Al-Ittihad responded with a corner, which was removed by defender Saud Abdel Hamid. (21).
• Al-Ittihad was close to scoring when Moroccan Abd al-Razzaq Hamdallah received a cross that hit it powerfully next to the post (41), and Brazilian Romarinho da Silva missed a dangerous opportunity alone, ending it with a powerful shot over the crossbar. (45).
• The second half was more exciting, and Al-Ittihad almost snatched a goal when Romarinho hit a powerful ball, Abdullah Al-Mayouf excelled in stopping it in two waves. (48).
• Brazilian goalkeeper Marcelo Grohe saved his own goal when he saved Nigerian Odion Ighalo’s ball with difficulty. (53).
• The crossbar denied Al-Ittihad a goal when it blocked Hamdallah’s ball before it prepared itself in front of the same player who hit it hard, Al-Maouf pushed it away to a corner. (56).
• Al-Mayouf continued his brilliance when he brilliantly tackled the ball of Brazilian Bruno Henrique (84), and Omar Hawsawi headed with a header that passed along the post. (88).
• Al-Ittihad missed a goal when Romarinho followed a ball inside the area, but he hit it in the corner of Al-Mayouf, who removed it with his fist before the defense dispersed it. (89).
• In the first extra half, Al-Ittihad had an opportunity when Henrique hit a powerful ball, which Al-Mayouf blocked in two waves (93), and Al-Hilal responded with a powerful shot by Salem Al-Dossary, far from the goal. (97).
• Romarinho missed a real opportunity when he received a ball inside the area, which he played easily in the arms of Al-Mayouf (98), and Al-Hilal missed a valuable opportunity when the ball was prepared in front of Argentine Luciano Vietto, but he hit it hard along the post. (101).
• In the second additional half, Al-Hilal succeeded in scoring when Malian Musa Marega played a cross that Hegazy accidentally deposited in his own net. (106).

There was an opportunity for Al-Ittihad through Abdulaziz Al-Bishi with a shot that passed by the post (115), and Al-Ittihad rushed in the remaining minutes in search of an equalizer, but its attempts were unsuccessful.