Al-Khaleej stunned Al-Ittihad

The journey of foreign ownership in Saudi football has begun in a highly memorable manner. When Ben Harburg acquired Al Khlood before the start of the season, perhaps he himself did not think that he would reach the final of the Saudi King's Cup in his very first season.
Al Khlood made a stunning comeback after going down twice against Al Ittihad and leveled the match 2-2 after extra time. They then secured a 5-4 victory in the penalty shootout to book their place in the final for the first time. On the other hand, the match between Al Hilal and Al Ahli remained 1-1 at the end of regular time, where Al Hilal won 4-2 in the penalty shootout thanks to the brilliant performance of goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
In the match played in Qassim, Al Khlood adopted a defensive strategy, but Al Ittihad took the lead through Moussa Diaby's goal in the 40th minute. Al Khlood did not lose heart and equalized the match through Abdulaziz Al-Aliwa in the 73rd minute. In extra time, Steven Bergwijn gave Al Ittihad the lead again, but 20-year-old substitute player Adam Berry scored his first and memorable goal in the 111th minute to level the score again. In the penalty shootout, Al Khlood's goalkeeper Kozani blocked Moussa Diaby's crucial penalty to give his team a historic victory.
In the second semi-final held in Jeddah, Al Hilal took the lead through Theo Hernandez's powerful shot in the 39th minute. Al Ahli applied intense pressure in the second half and equalized the match through Ayoun Toni's penalty in the 78th minute. In the penalty shootout, Yassine Bounou once again proved to be the hero for Al Hilal, blocking penalties from Ayoun Toni and Guiliano to secure his team's place in the final. Theo Hernandez scored the final penalty to seal Al Hilal's win.
Now, in the King's Cup final, traditional rivals Al Hilal will face Al Khlood, the biggest surprise package of the season.