May 13, (THEWILL) – In a thrilling King’s Cup final in Jeddah, Odion Ighalo and his Al-Hilal teammates had to come from behind to defeat Al-Wehda 7-6 on penalties after extra time ended in a stalemate.
The Red Giants, who shocked Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr in the semi-finals, came within moments of lifting their first trophy since 1966, but Al-Hilal’s Ali Al-Bulaihi’s 99th-minute equaliser and goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Mayouf’s heroics in the shootout proved decisive. Al-Wehda, however, will rue missed opportunities, including Yahya Naji’s close-range miss with the goal at his mercy.
Although Al-Hilal had a slow start to the game and fell behind in the first half, they displayed their championship pedigree in the second half and in extra time, creating more chances and putting Al-Wehda under pressure. With the win, Al-Hilal avoided a third loss in a final this year after defeats in the FIFA Club World Cup and the Asian Champions League.
Al-Wehda, on the other hand, put up a valiant fight but were left heartbroken in the end by Al-Hilal’s goalkeeper who won the victory with his penalty stops especially after Ighalo had his attempt saved by the Al-Wehda goalkeeper. The victory will give Al-Hilal a much-needed boost after a busy season, and they will look to build on this success in their next match against Al-Ittihad.
Meanwhile, Al-Wehda will aim to bounce back when they face Al-Shabab later this week as the two finalists return to domestic league concerns with Al-Wehda struggling to avoid the drop in 13th place.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
