Apologies for not updating last week. I have actually written something about the semifinal, but unfortunately could not post it because I had to leave town to attend the wedding of a dear friend of mine in the EP. Pundits say it was a good game, especially on behalf of the Makkah Musketeers but their lack of experience had let them down in the extra-time. So, we end up with a classic clash for the league final: al-Ittihad will come to Riyadh to play against al-Hilal for Saudi Arabia's most prestigious title.
Meanwhile, al-Zaeem have left the capital and went to al-Ain, UAE, to start a training camp to prepare for the big final. The training camp is the brainchild of assistant coach Abdul-Lateef al-Husseini, who had a similar experience with his old team last season. At the time, al-Shabab outclassed al-Hilal and won the final match 3-0. On a related note, the management have finally succeeded to solve Tariq's situation regarding his international commitment. I was actually surprised how the Libyan FA cooperated on this issue, so they should be given credit here because they obviously deserve it.
Not much to say about the big final for now, but the build up continues with a tense rate on both sides. The first two pieces of silverware this season has gone to the Green Fort, and both teams should do whatever it takes to win the cup, but I would suggest that we should keep our expectations low as most finals don't live up to the hype.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Miscellaneous
Again, al-Hilal have failed to impress at in the ACL, but nevertheless they are through to the knock-out stage for the first time in their history. I was traveling, so I could not watch the match, but those who did said it was very dull and boring. Glad I didn't miss much. Some critics, such as Khalaf Melfi, wondered if the team are going to be able to continue their Asian journey with a performance like that, but I believe the team would return in a better shape after the summer.
Back in Riyadh, rumor has it that al-Shelhoub's season is over as his calf injury would prevent him from taking part in the league final on June 1. The injury is certainly a hit to Paqueta's squad, and the Brazilian coach must be frustrated over the bad news. Al-Shelhoub does not only give the team a technical edge, but also contributes to improving the team morale when other players feel down. He is a nice guy with the right attitude. After missing the chance to display his extraordinary talent at the 2006 World Cup due to his mother's death, this could be another disappointment for No. 10.
In other news, SAFF have decided to finish the controversy over an allegedly missed drugs.aspxtest for Yassir in an unusual fashion: the GS office published a statement on their website saying the news are totally false, and the document circulated in the media is fake. It is good that SAFF are finally using their website, but what was striking is how low some people would go just to hurt al-Hilal in any possible way. I mean: faking an official document? This is pathetic. Grow up. Get a life. It is football for God's sake. Please don't pollute sports with your crap.
Back in Riyadh, rumor has it that al-Shelhoub's season is over as his calf injury would prevent him from taking part in the league final on June 1. The injury is certainly a hit to Paqueta's squad, and the Brazilian coach must be frustrated over the bad news. Al-Shelhoub does not only give the team a technical edge, but also contributes to improving the team morale when other players feel down. He is a nice guy with the right attitude. After missing the chance to display his extraordinary talent at the 2006 World Cup due to his mother's death, this could be another disappointment for No. 10.
In other news, SAFF have decided to finish the controversy over an allegedly missed drugs.aspxtest for Yassir in an unusual fashion: the GS office published a statement on their website saying the news are totally false, and the document circulated in the media is fake. It is good that SAFF are finally using their website, but what was striking is how low some people would go just to hurt al-Hilal in any possible way. I mean: faking an official document? This is pathetic. Grow up. Get a life. It is football for God's sake. Please don't pollute sports with your crap.
Monday, May 7, 2007
Resilience
The last two matches of al-Hilal have much in common: both matches had one team very eager to win and another that the match didn't matter to them.
On Monday, al-Hilal were eager to win and smacked al-Ahli reserves 3-0. The match proves, once again, that Tariq has become indispensable to the team, and it would be a huge mistake not to sign a long-term deal with him, regardless of the excuses the management use to avoid it. But the good news was Nawaf, who played a good match for the first time in months. He wasn't superb, but his assist to Yassir has brought back some sweet memories. Speaking of Yassir, the Sniper has finally scored after fasting for the last few weeks. Al-Najie has had a touch that could have deflected the ball to a corner, but luckily it found its way to the net. Tariq sealed the victory with one of his trademark passes to sub Fahad Mubarak who scored the third goal in the additional time.
On Friday, al-Shabab were eager to win, while Paqueta has decided to use the reserves in order to give the first team some rest before leaving to Kuwait to play their last group match in the ACL. I have not watched the match because I was driving from the EP to Riyadh, but the result was not at all surprising: 3-1. Sami, who will probably retire at the end of season, started and scored al-Hilal's only goal from the penalty spot.
Now coming to Wednesday's critical match against Kuwait Club in the Friendship and Peace Stadium: a draw is enough for al-Hilal to claim the top spot in the group and win the only seat to the quarter-finals. We can expect a difficult match, especially after the bitter last minute draw in Riyadh, but I believe the team has gained momentum since then. Al-Shelhoub is ruled out due to injury, which is unfortunate, of course, because he usually does great in Asia, but I think this could be Yassir's match more than anyone else. A shock and awe approach might crack the opponent early, but far more important for the team in this match is to show resilience.
On Monday, al-Hilal were eager to win and smacked al-Ahli reserves 3-0. The match proves, once again, that Tariq has become indispensable to the team, and it would be a huge mistake not to sign a long-term deal with him, regardless of the excuses the management use to avoid it. But the good news was Nawaf, who played a good match for the first time in months. He wasn't superb, but his assist to Yassir has brought back some sweet memories. Speaking of Yassir, the Sniper has finally scored after fasting for the last few weeks. Al-Najie has had a touch that could have deflected the ball to a corner, but luckily it found its way to the net. Tariq sealed the victory with one of his trademark passes to sub Fahad Mubarak who scored the third goal in the additional time.
On Friday, al-Shabab were eager to win, while Paqueta has decided to use the reserves in order to give the first team some rest before leaving to Kuwait to play their last group match in the ACL. I have not watched the match because I was driving from the EP to Riyadh, but the result was not at all surprising: 3-1. Sami, who will probably retire at the end of season, started and scored al-Hilal's only goal from the penalty spot.
Now coming to Wednesday's critical match against Kuwait Club in the Friendship and Peace Stadium: a draw is enough for al-Hilal to claim the top spot in the group and win the only seat to the quarter-finals. We can expect a difficult match, especially after the bitter last minute draw in Riyadh, but I believe the team has gained momentum since then. Al-Shelhoub is ruled out due to injury, which is unfortunate, of course, because he usually does great in Asia, but I think this could be Yassir's match more than anyone else. A shock and awe approach might crack the opponent early, but far more important for the team in this match is to show resilience.
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