Al Ahli Reaches the Semi-Finals of the King’s Cup

Al Ahli’s first team booked their place in the semi-finals of the King's Cup after defeating Al-Qadsiah 5–4 on penalties, following a thrilling 3–3 draw on Friday evening at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah in the quarter-final round.

The game started at a high tempo, with Al-Qadsiah striking twice in the 11th and 30th minutes. Ivan Toney brought Al Ahli back into the game from the penalty spot in the 36th minute, but in stoppage time the referee awarded Al-Qadsiah another penalty, which they converted to their third goal.

In the second half, coach Matthias Jaissle reshaped his side, and Al Ahli came out with renewed attacking intensity, pushing Al-Qadsiah back and forcing them to rely on counter-attacks. Young French Valentin Atangana made it 3–2 in the 61st minute, before Franck Kessié leveled the score at 3–3 in the 73rd minute, finishing off a cross from Riyad Mahrez.

Al Ahli continued to dominate and control the game, backed by strong support from the stands, but couldn’t find a winning goal, sending the match into extra time. Despite maintaining the upper hand, Al Ahli was unable to change the scoreline, and the tie went to a penalty shootout.

From the spot, Al Ahli was flawless, scoring all five attempts through Ivan Toney, Riyad Mahrez, Franck Kessié, Saleh Abu Alshamat, and Feras Albrikan.