Saudi football season has come to a conclusion last Friday when al-Hilal and al-Ittihad clashed at King Fahad International Stadium in Riyadh. Playing to a packed stadium awash with colors, both teams have put together a decent performance, but it was Ittihad who excelled to calim the prestigious title.
Prior to the match, a friend of mine called me and said “Hilal’s chances to win are 30% only.” I thought he was being pessimistic, and told him “it is a 50/50 match.” I said our team have a bigger motivation, and he said motivation is not enough to win this final.
Although Hilal had two corners in the first five minutes, Ittihad started in a better shape. They were far more organized and dominated the midfield, and the fact that Hilal were using three holding midfielders did not change much. Sagri enjoyed several runs into Angri, he even had the chance to move deep and actually got an opportunity to score. On the other side, Khathran had a better chance to open the score when he received Yassir’s ball inside the box, but mishandled it.
Twenty minutes into the match, Omar moves with the ball past the middle line, passes to Tariq who elegantly gives it back to Omar with one touch. Omar takes a few steps forward and strikes a fierce right-footed into the net. Taiseer had absolutely no chance. I thought the goal would have a positive effect on Hilali performance, but I was mistakes. Itti continues to have the upper hand for the remaining 25 minutes of the first-half.
Dimitri makes his only substitution during the break: Hamza replaces Sultan al-Nemri. It was too big of a match for the youngster. This was expected on behalf of Dimitri, but what has stricken me is how Paqueta reacted to the weak performance of the blues in the first forty-five minutes. He has done nothing.
Ittihad started the second-half in a similar fashion to the first, dominating and playing their game, while Hilal looked is if they were waiting for something to happen. They allowed their opponents move way too freely. Nevertheless, Paqueta was mistakenly sure about his team that he pulled his two forwards Rodrigao and Yassir and brought in Fahad Mubarak and Anbar. Not much happened until the 75th minute, when Sagri swerved a very long ball from the left flank, only to find anticipating right-back Osama al-Muwallad whose volley shot found its way under the feet of veteran Duaie.
Now let me take a moment here and ask a question: Ittihad socred three goals against Hilal this season, what do they have in common? Your probably don’t remember, so let me remind you: a long ball that goes over the head of our left-back Khathran, who has fallen short every time, literally. I’m not sure if the coach have dedicated any time to watch the previous two matches, but if he did he should have noticed such thing.
After the equalizer, I realized the match was over for Hilal, but I thought it might take an extra time for Ittihad to get it over with. Pulling out his two forward way too early has left Paqueta with his hands tied. Montasher, AFC’s 2005 Player of the Year, decides to put an end to Hilal misery earlier that I expected. At the dying moments of the match he goes up quickly on the break, and jumps higher than everyone to send Kita’s cross to the right corner. It was the winning goal: Ittihad are the champions.
They were playing their third final this season, and they definitely deserved to win. As for Hilal, it is only fair to say they were not good enough.
Finally, a few words to the supporters and management. To the supporters: it is not the end of the world, and by many measures, the season was not a disaster. We reached the CPC semifinal, we reached the knock-out stage of the ACL for the first time in our history, and we were on top of the table for most weeks. Keep in mind this happened while we changed coaches two times.
As for the management: I wish Prince Mohammed bin Faisal (PMBF) would stay. He works with a real passion and that’s what we need for the coming seasons. I also wish Paqueta and foreign players would stay as well. This was the first time he lost a final with the team, so give the man some slack. As for Tavares, I think the management would be making a huge mistake if they did not deliver his demands. He has become an integral part of the squad, and it doesn’t matter how much more money he asks for. The management should really consider singing a long-term deal with him to secure his stay with the amount of money they want. Renewing the contract year-by-year puts the player in a much stronger position during negotiations.
Tariq has clearly become indispensable to the team, so keeping him is a must. Rodrigao has spent only a short time, and I believe he would only get better if he spends more time with the team. Of course, the management can always promise to bring a better player, but in reality this is not always the case.
Anyway, it was a dramatic season, and I can’t see why next season won’t be any less interesting. What do you think about all of this? Have your say.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Monday, May 28, 2007
Back to Business
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.
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.
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.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Beautiful vs Efficient
I just want to say: what a typical boring win? Yes, it is very typical of al-Hilal to underperform and still be able to get the result. Those who have been following the team for some time know this very well, so no news here, I guess. I was disappointed and saying "the important thing: we got the result we wanted" won't make me feel any better.
Prior to the match I expected al-Hilal to start attacking aggressively since the kick-off. There was no reason to think otherwise: we have a better team, we play at home in front of a loud loyal crowd, and we just beat them on their ground recently. Think again. The blue team has suffered a very slow start, giving advantage to the guests who couldn't reject the generous Hilali gift. Pakhtakor have dominated the midfield and the pressing they exerted in our half of the pitch forced defenders to err several times.
Thirty minutes into the first half, Tareq gets the ball on the left flank, but his attempt to send it into the box is blocked by an opponent. He gains possession again, passes to al-Shelhoub, one touch to Tareq who takes his time and a glance to the area where Yassir and Rodrigao were expectingly waiting. The latter cleverly slips between the two center-backs and heads the ball in the net. It was one of the rare good moments in the match: a brilliant cross by Tareq and a brilliant move by Rodrigao.
Not much has changed in the 2nd half: the guests kept on putting their hosts under pressure, occasionally threatening and leaving plenty of wide open spaces behind, which the home team didn't know how to make use of. Tareq and Yassir left the pitch with minor injuries (actually I doubt they were 100% fit to start) leaving the team practically handicapped.
When the match was coming to an end, al-Shelhoub comes up with the other good moment in the match: a nice through pass to Rodrigao who found him self one-on-one with Pakhtakor goalkeeper who had no choice but to stop the striker illegally. Penalty. The goalie clearly deserved a red card, but the ref did not even give him a warning. It didn't matter much to al-Hilal, but Kuwaitis should be angry. Rodrigao scores from the spot. The match ends. Now we have one match left in the ACL against Kuwait Club away, and we need only one point to qualify to the next stage, but with a performance like what we've seen in Riyadh this could be really difficult.
On the local front, one point is also all what we need from our last two matches to finish on top. Tonight al-Hilal is to host jubilant al-Ahli who outplayed rivals al-Ittihad on Friday to win the Crown Prince Cup. A second trophy, and a perfect closure of the season for the residents of the Green Fort. It will be a good game. It should be. Al-Hilal and al-Ahli usually put a decent display when they face each other, and this will be the forth time they do it this season. Al-Ahli have knocked al-Hilal out of CPC so this might be the chance for Paqueta's boys to pay them back.
Prior to the match I expected al-Hilal to start attacking aggressively since the kick-off. There was no reason to think otherwise: we have a better team, we play at home in front of a loud loyal crowd, and we just beat them on their ground recently. Think again. The blue team has suffered a very slow start, giving advantage to the guests who couldn't reject the generous Hilali gift. Pakhtakor have dominated the midfield and the pressing they exerted in our half of the pitch forced defenders to err several times.
Thirty minutes into the first half, Tareq gets the ball on the left flank, but his attempt to send it into the box is blocked by an opponent. He gains possession again, passes to al-Shelhoub, one touch to Tareq who takes his time and a glance to the area where Yassir and Rodrigao were expectingly waiting. The latter cleverly slips between the two center-backs and heads the ball in the net. It was one of the rare good moments in the match: a brilliant cross by Tareq and a brilliant move by Rodrigao.
Not much has changed in the 2nd half: the guests kept on putting their hosts under pressure, occasionally threatening and leaving plenty of wide open spaces behind, which the home team didn't know how to make use of. Tareq and Yassir left the pitch with minor injuries (actually I doubt they were 100% fit to start) leaving the team practically handicapped.
When the match was coming to an end, al-Shelhoub comes up with the other good moment in the match: a nice through pass to Rodrigao who found him self one-on-one with Pakhtakor goalkeeper who had no choice but to stop the striker illegally. Penalty. The goalie clearly deserved a red card, but the ref did not even give him a warning. It didn't matter much to al-Hilal, but Kuwaitis should be angry. Rodrigao scores from the spot. The match ends. Now we have one match left in the ACL against Kuwait Club away, and we need only one point to qualify to the next stage, but with a performance like what we've seen in Riyadh this could be really difficult.
On the local front, one point is also all what we need from our last two matches to finish on top. Tonight al-Hilal is to host jubilant al-Ahli who outplayed rivals al-Ittihad on Friday to win the Crown Prince Cup. A second trophy, and a perfect closure of the season for the residents of the Green Fort. It will be a good game. It should be. Al-Hilal and al-Ahli usually put a decent display when they face each other, and this will be the forth time they do it this season. Al-Ahli have knocked al-Hilal out of CPC so this might be the chance for Paqueta's boys to pay them back.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Asian Nostalgia
As Wednesday approaches, I bet that many fans are reminiscing the golden memories of their team's Asian glories. On the eve of April 25, Al-Hilal will take on Uzbekistan's Pakhtakor at King Fahad International Stadium in Riyadh, kick-off at 20.45.
We need to win, and we need to score at least three goals. Some might say any victory will do regardless of the result, but I really believe that if we were not to take the advantage of playing in home we might regret it later. A big win on Wednesday means we will be much more comfortable when we play our last match in the group against Kuwait Club away. The team is in good shape and the spirits are high, and with Al-Taib back from injury we should be able to keep our good form.
We need to win, and we need to score at least three goals. Some might say any victory will do regardless of the result, but I really believe that if we were not to take the advantage of playing in home we might regret it later. A big win on Wednesday means we will be much more comfortable when we play our last match in the group against Kuwait Club away. The team is in good shape and the spirits are high, and with Al-Taib back from injury we should be able to keep our good form.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Ridiculous Rumor
Last week was tough on the blue team. After being knocked out of the Crown Prince Cup on the hands of Al-Ahli, Al-Hilal had to leave to Uzbekistan where they played the local Pakhtakor on match day 3 in the AFC Champions League groups stage. Following a disappointing 1-1 draw to Kuwait Club in Riyadh on match day 1, this match was crucial if the team wanted to keep their hopes alive in Asia's most prestigious club competition.
Al-Hilal had put an impressive display in the People's Stadium in Tashkent, snatching a 2-0 win. Both goals were scored early in the second half: Omar scored with a beautiful strike on the rebound after Al-Shelhoub's free kick hit the wall on the 52nd minute. Seven minutes later, Al-Shelhoub was involved again as he passed a through ball to Yassir but he could not control it, only to find his Brazilian teammate Rodrigao who easily put it in the net.
Following the much-needed away win, the team were quickly back to Riyadh on a private jet to prepare for the capital's derby against rivals Al-Nassr. Upon their arrival, newspapers and online forums were circulating a ridiculous rumor: a big fight burst on the airplane when Sami, Al-Deaie and Aziz drank alcohol, and some players tried to stop them. For me, the obvious explanation is not far from this: Because they know their team have become too weak to compete with Al-Hilal, some Nassrawi propagandists thought they could shake the team's confidence using this cheap tactics. It took about two days for Al-Hilal VP Tariq Al-Twaijri to come out and say the rumor was totally false, and that the three players would start the derby, rejecting media reports that the club have suspended them on the background of the aforementioned rumor.
Unfortunately, last night's derby did not live up to the usual expectations. Al-Nassr had the upper hand in the first half, and Saad Al-Harthi in particular seemed dangerous. He could slip behind Al-Hilal center-backs several times but his attempts lacked the last touch. Al-Hilal had a few chances too, most notably Yassir's acrobatic move, but his shot was a bit wide. I think most of Al-Zaeem fans were happy to hear the whistle ending the first half goal-less.
Al-Hilal started the second half in a better shape, but it was obvious that they were desperately the injured Libyan playmaker Tariq Al-Taib. Furthermore, Paqueta have decided to keep the two players who could in a way or another play Al-Taib's role on the bench. In the time I was waiting to see Paqueta bring in Sami or Nawaf, he had to take Yassir out because he picked up a minor injury and brought Fahad Mubarak in. Yassir has been out-of-form for the past few matches, and I thought this game would be his big comeback, but it wasn't. Mubarak was energetic, his fast moves have made some troubles to Al-Bahri, but he also missed two chances in front of the goal.
As the last third of the second half was approaching, left-back Al-Khathran moved quickly in the flank, crossing the ball inside the box to the anticipating Mubarak and Rodrigao, but before it reached its target, it was deflected by Ahmed Al-Khair and it's in the net. The OG was enough for Al-Hilal, who didn't put much effort in the few remaining minutes, especially that their opponents did not look threatening. By the end of this match, Al-Hilal needs only one point out of their next two matches against Al-Ahli and Al-Shabab to secure the top position in the league.
The team now have ten days to relax and get ready to play Pakhtakor again, but this time in King Fahad International Stadium in Riyadh on April 25. It will be a good chance for Paqueta to work on improving the performance which was much less than satisfactory.
Al-Hilal had put an impressive display in the People's Stadium in Tashkent, snatching a 2-0 win. Both goals were scored early in the second half: Omar scored with a beautiful strike on the rebound after Al-Shelhoub's free kick hit the wall on the 52nd minute. Seven minutes later, Al-Shelhoub was involved again as he passed a through ball to Yassir but he could not control it, only to find his Brazilian teammate Rodrigao who easily put it in the net.
Following the much-needed away win, the team were quickly back to Riyadh on a private jet to prepare for the capital's derby against rivals Al-Nassr. Upon their arrival, newspapers and online forums were circulating a ridiculous rumor: a big fight burst on the airplane when Sami, Al-Deaie and Aziz drank alcohol, and some players tried to stop them. For me, the obvious explanation is not far from this: Because they know their team have become too weak to compete with Al-Hilal, some Nassrawi propagandists thought they could shake the team's confidence using this cheap tactics. It took about two days for Al-Hilal VP Tariq Al-Twaijri to come out and say the rumor was totally false, and that the three players would start the derby, rejecting media reports that the club have suspended them on the background of the aforementioned rumor.
Unfortunately, last night's derby did not live up to the usual expectations. Al-Nassr had the upper hand in the first half, and Saad Al-Harthi in particular seemed dangerous. He could slip behind Al-Hilal center-backs several times but his attempts lacked the last touch. Al-Hilal had a few chances too, most notably Yassir's acrobatic move, but his shot was a bit wide. I think most of Al-Zaeem fans were happy to hear the whistle ending the first half goal-less.
Al-Hilal started the second half in a better shape, but it was obvious that they were desperately the injured Libyan playmaker Tariq Al-Taib. Furthermore, Paqueta have decided to keep the two players who could in a way or another play Al-Taib's role on the bench. In the time I was waiting to see Paqueta bring in Sami or Nawaf, he had to take Yassir out because he picked up a minor injury and brought Fahad Mubarak in. Yassir has been out-of-form for the past few matches, and I thought this game would be his big comeback, but it wasn't. Mubarak was energetic, his fast moves have made some troubles to Al-Bahri, but he also missed two chances in front of the goal.
As the last third of the second half was approaching, left-back Al-Khathran moved quickly in the flank, crossing the ball inside the box to the anticipating Mubarak and Rodrigao, but before it reached its target, it was deflected by Ahmed Al-Khair and it's in the net. The OG was enough for Al-Hilal, who didn't put much effort in the few remaining minutes, especially that their opponents did not look threatening. By the end of this match, Al-Hilal needs only one point out of their next two matches against Al-Ahli and Al-Shabab to secure the top position in the league.
The team now have ten days to relax and get ready to play Pakhtakor again, but this time in King Fahad International Stadium in Riyadh on April 25. It will be a good chance for Paqueta to work on improving the performance which was much less than satisfactory.
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