Al Hala lift HM the King’s Cup!
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
Al Hala were last night crowned champions of the 2022/2023 His Majesty the King’s Cup football tournament. Hala claimed the coveted trophy after a heart-stopping 6-5 victory in a hugely thrilling penalty shootout that extended to an amazing 10 spot kicks per squad.
The match had ended goalless after 90 minutes and the score remained nil-nil after 30 minutes of extra-time. Packed with a massive crowd of supporters for both teams, Khalifa Sports City Stadium was treated to an intense shootout that was filled with drama from start to finish.
National Guard Commander General His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Isa Al Khalifa presented the HM the King’s Cup to Al Hala captain Ali Adnan after the match.
Also in attendance last night was Supreme Council for Youth and Sports first deputy chairman, General Sports Authority (GSA) president and Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) chief His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, along with BOC vice-president His Highness Shaikh Isa bin Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, GSA deputy chairman Shaikh Salman bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Bahrain Football Association president Shaikh Ali bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, and other high-ranking officials.
Adnan scored the winning penalty for Hala to finally separate the two sides.
With the shootout tied at 5-5, Ahli’s Zakaria Ismaili missed a golden opportunity to give his team the lead, and then Adnan took advantage on the ensuing spot kick.
Earlier in the shootout, on target for Hala Ali Jamal, Waleed Al Teyib, Baba Diop, Abuchi Nicolas Idemili and Ahmed Hassan Kamel.
In regular time, both teams had a number of chances to take the lead, with a majority of the chances falling to Ahli.
Vinicius Vargas Dos Santos came just inches wide of the right post in the second minute, and then Jamal Rashed squandered a golden opportunity in the 13th minute on a one-on-one with Hala goalkeeper Mohammed Abdulrahim, but he failed to get a shot off.
Abbas Al Asfoor also had a great chance for Ahli in the 26th minute, but his effort flew past the outside of the left upright.
After the break, Rashed headed home in the 48th minute but his goal was disallowed for being offside.
Ahli skipper Abbas Ayyad then had a long-distance free-kick on target in the 62nd minute but it was easily collected by Abdulrahim.
Rashed again came close with a shot from the edge of the box in the 68th minute. Hala’s best chance was from Diop in the 72nd, but his header in front of goal went over the crossbar.
In the eighth minute of extra time, Al Teyib had a free-kick on target for Hala that was saved by Ahli’s Ebrahim Luthfallah.
The chances in the additional sessions were few and far between, setting the stage for the thrilling shootout.
The HM the King’s Cup is the richest football competition in the Kingdom, with Hala taking home BD100,000 in prize money as champions and BD50,000 going to Ahli.
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