RIYADH: The journey of foreign ownership of Saudi clubs has started off on a remarkable note. When Ben Harburg acquired Al-Kholood prior to the start of the campaign, even he would not have have imagined his reaching the final two of the Saudi King’s Cup in his first season.
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But they did. Al-Kholood fought back twice to hold Al-Ittihad to a 2-2 draw after extra time before defeating them 5-4 on penalties. On the other side of the bracket, Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal played out a 1-1 draw, with Bounou’s penalty heroics eventually sealing a 4-2 shootout victory for the Blues.
Each game had its own story to tell. In Qassim, Al-Kholood set up in a compact 5-3-2 to force Al-Ittihad out wide. Moussa Diaby started on the bench, and as a result Steven Bergwijn and Houssem Aouar struggled to deliver the final ball Youssef En-Nesyri thrives on.
In Jeddah, Al-Ahli’s tried-and-tested formula of threading passes behind the defence was well-read by Al-Hilal, which packed the central channels to prevent Riyad Mahrez’s passes from finding their target.
