Live Action: Al-Ittihad v Al-Qadsiah (King’s Cup, final)
Leaders-Mena magazine provided a live coverage for Friday’s game between Al-Ittihad and Al-Qadsiah in the final of the Saudi King’s Cup.
Fulltime: Al-Ittihad 3-1 Al-Qadsiah
Scorers: Karim Benzema 34′, 90+4′, Hossam Aouar 43′ / Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 45+6′ (pen)
Yellow cards:
Ezequiél Fernández (Al-Qadsiah)
Red card:
Ezequiél Fernández (Al-Qadsiah)
Lineups:
Al-Ittihad: Predrag Rajković; Muhannad Shanqeeti, Danilo Pereira, Abdulelah Al-Amri, Mario Mitaj; Fabinho, Houssem Aouar (Hamed Al-Ghamdi 90), N’Golo Kanté; Moussa Diaby, Karim Benzema (Saleh Al-Shehri 90+8), Steven Bergwijn (Abdulrahman Al-Obud 90)
Al-Qadsiah: Koen Casteels; Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat (Iker Almena 65), Jehad Thakri (Ibrahim Mahnashi 65), Nacho Fernández, Gastón Álvarez (Abdulaziz Al-Othman 90+1); Nahitan Nández, Turki Al-Ammar (Ali Hazazi 46), Ezequiel Fernandez, Cameron Puertas (Hussain Al-Qahtani 90+1); Julián Quiñones, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
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90+10′ Second half ends.
90+8′ Substitution for Al-Ittihad: Saleh Al-Shehri replaces Karim Benzema.
(GOAL) Benzema capitalizes on Moussa Diaby’s cross with a left-footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal.
90+4′ GOOAAL.. Benzema adds the third for Al-Ittihad.
90+1′ Double subs for Al-Qadsiah: Hussain Al-Qahtani replaces Cameron Puertas; Abdulaziz Al-Othman comes in for Gastón Álvarez
90′ The fourth official announces 9 minutes of added time.
90′ Double subs for Al-Ittihad: Hamed Al-Ghamdi replaces Houssem Aouar; Abdulrahman Al-Obud comes in for Steven Bergwijn
89′ Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang wins a free kick for Al-Qadsiah in the defensive half.
88′ Steven Bergwijn attempts on the goal with a right-footed shot from the centre of the box, but the defense blocks the shot.
85′ Throw in for Al-Ittihad.
81′ RED CARD! Ezequiél Fernández gets a red card for a harsh foul on Aouar.
81′ Houssem Aouar wins a free kick for Al-Ittihad in the attacking half.
79′ Iker Almena wins a free kick for Al-Qadsiah on the right wing.
78′ Corner kick for Al-Ittihad; conceded by Gastón Álvarez.
75′ Fifteen minutes to the final whistle with Al-Ittihad claiming a 2-1 lead in result and a 59% in possession.
74′ Julián Quiñones wins a free kick for Al-Qadsiah on the left wing.
74′ Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang strikes the ball with his right foot from the centre of the box, but Al-Ittihad defense blocks the shot.
66′ Karim Benzema strikes the ball with his right foot from the centre of the box, but the defense blocks the shot.
65′ Double subs for Al-Qadsiah: Iker Almena replaces Mohammed Abu Al Shamat; Ibrahim Mahnashi comes in for Jehad Thikri
65′ Ezequiél Fernández receives a yellow card for a harsh foul.
65′ Houssem Aouar wins a free kick for Al-Ittihad in the attacking half.
62′ Muhannad Al-Shanqiti wins a free kick for Al-Ittihad in the defensive half.
60′ Both teams are exchanging attack, with Al-Ittihad want to add the third while Al-Qadsiah look for an equalizer.
56′ Corner kick for Al-Ittihad; conceded by Mohammed Abu Al Shamat.
55′ Houssem Aouar wins a free kick for Al-Ittihad in the defensive half.
53′ Delay in match because of an injury to Al-Qadsiah’s Jehad Thikri and Al-Ittihad’s Abdulelah Al Amri
48′ N’Golo Kanté wins a free kick for Al-Ittihad in the defensive half.
46′ 2nd half begins.
Substitution for Al-Qadsiah: Ali Abdullah Hazazi replaces Turki Al Ammar.
Halftime
45+10′ First half ends.
(GOAL) Aubameyang converts the penalty kick with a right-footed shot to the bottom left corner
45+6′ GOOAAL… Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scores for Al-Qadsiah
- Penalty conceded by Al-Ittihad’s Muhannad Al-Shanqiti after a foul in the penalty area.
45+4′ PENALTY! The referee awards Al-Qadsiah a penalty kick after VAR check.
45+3′ Steven Bergwijn wins a free kick for Al-Ittihad in the defensive half.
45+2′ Al-Qadsiah win a corner kick. The first in the game so far
45′ The fourth official announces 6 minutes of added time.
(GOAL) Hossam Aouar capitalizes on the rebound from the goalkeeper with a brilliant header from very close range.
43′ GOOAAL… Hossam Aouar doubles the score for Al-Ittihad.
41′ A harsh foul by Al-Ittihad’s N’Golo Kanté in the attacking half.
40′ Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang wins a free kick for Al-Qadsiah in the defensive half.
40′ Throw in for Al-Ittihad.
38′ Karim Benzema converts Houssem Aouar’s cross with a left-footed shot from outside the box, but his strike is blocked by the defense.
(GOAL) Benzema capitalizes on Steven Bergwijn’s cross with a right-footed shot from very close range to the center of the goal.
34′ GOOAAL… Benzema gives Al-Ittihad the lead.
31′ NO PENALTY! After VAR check the referee signals no penalty for Al-Ittihad, orders the play to continue.
27′ Nacho wins a free kick for Al-Qadsiah in the defensive half.
23′ Gastón Álvarez unleashes a left-footed shot from outside the box, but Al-Ittihad defense blocks the shot.
21′ Julián Quiñones wins a free kick for Al-Qadsiah in the defensive half.
19′ Ezequiél Fernández wins a free kick for Al-Qadsiah in the defensive half.
15′ Al-Ittihad’s Moussa Diaby is caught offside.
10′ Fabinho wins a free kick for Al-Ittihad in the attacking half.
8′ Mario Mitaj wins a free kick for Al-Ittihad in the defensive half.
4′ Houssem Aouar wins a free kick for Al-Ittihad in the defensive half.
4′ Al-Qadsiah striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang srikes the ball with his right foot from the right side of the box , but Al-Ittihad goalkeeper produces a great save.
1′ Julián Quiñones wins a free kick for Al- Qadsiah on the left wing.
1′ First half begins.
19:00 Al-Ittihad will be eager to secure their 10th King Cup title, aiming to close the gap on Al-Ahli, the most successful club in the competition with 13 titles, and current champions Al-Hilal, who have lifted the trophy 11 times. Meanwhile, Al-Qadsiah are determined to make history by clinching their first-ever trophy.
18:00 Possible Lineups:
Al-Ittihad (4-2-3-1): Rajkovic (GK); Al Yami, Al Amri, Pereira, Mitaj; Kante, Fabinho; Hernandez, Aouar, Bergwijn; Benzema
Al-Qadsiah (3-4-1-2): Casteels (GK); Thakri, Nacho, Alvarez; Aboulshamat, Al Qahtani, Hazzazi, Almena; Puertas; Aubameyang, Quinones
17:00 Al-Ittihad will look to continue their historical dominance over Al-Qadsiah, having secured 16 victories in their 28 encounters across all competitions. Al-Qadsiah, on the other hand, have managed just two wins, with the remaining 10 matches ending in draws. Their most recent clash, which took place on 6 March, finished in a 1-1 stalemate.
16:00 Al-Ittihad kicked off their King’s Cup campaign with edging out Al-Jandal and Al-Hilal before claiming a narrow 3-2 victory over Al-Shabab in the semi-finals on 1 April, while Al-Qadsiah launched their fairytale run to the final with a 2-1 victory over Al-Wehda, then a dominant 3-0 win over Al-Taawoun in the quarter-finals before edging out Al-Raed 1-0 at the Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium in the semis.
15:00 The Saudi Pro League fourth-placed Al-Qadsiah’s four-game winning streak in the league came to an end in Monday’s season finale as they fell to a 2-0 loss against Al-Hilal at the Kingdom Arena.
14:00 The Jeddah giants side wrapped up their successful league campaign on a high with a 1-0 victory over Damac, extending their winning run in last six league matches, scoring 16 goals and keeping two clean sheets – a run which saw them finish eight points clear at the top of the table.
13:00 Following their triumph in securing the Saudi Pro League title, Laurent Blanc’s squad will be aiming to outmaneuver the Knight of the East and achieve an impressive domestic double.
12:00 Al-Ittihad will face off against Al-Qadsiah in the Saudi King’s Cup final at Jeddah’s Alinma Stadium on Friday, with both teams vying for victory to etch their names in the annals of Saudi football history.
Venue: Alinma Stadium (Jeddah)
Referee: Maurizio Mariani (Italy)
