RIYADH: The most coveted prize in Saudi football has reached its penultimate stage, with Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli set to battle for one place in the Saudi King’s Cup final at Al-Inma Stadium in Jeddah. Meanwhile, Al-Ittihad travel to Qassim for their semi-final encounter against an unlikely opponent: Ben Harburg’s Al-Kholood.
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Both games kick off simultaneously at 10:00pm on Wednesday, with fans across the Kingdom awaiting the pairing that will collide in the final. Each possible outcome carries its own narrative, promising one of the most compelling conclusions to what has already been a frantic tournament.
The Round of 32 delivered the tournament’s first giant killing. An injury-time equaliser by Al-Batin’s Mohammed Al-Sahli forced Al-Ettifaq into a penalty shootout, where Ondrej Duda and Francisco Calvo missed their attempts to send Al-Batin into the Round of 16.
There, Al-Nassr welcomed Al-Ittihad to Al-Awwal Park in a thrilling encounter that ended in Al-Nassr’s first defeat in all competitions this season. Karim Benzema opened the scoring, only to be cancelled out by Angelo 15 minutes later, before Houssem Aouar’s goal on the cusp of half-time dashed Cristiano Ronaldo’s hopes of lifting the trophy early in the campaign.
