Ahli set up its King's Cup semifinal clash against Al-Wehdah despite the fact that both the teams lost their encounters Saturday. While Ahli was beaten 1-0 by Al-Shabab at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah, Al-Wehdah was thrashed 4-3 by Al-Ittifaq at the Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam. The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) issued a statement an hour before the match rejecting a Shabab protest against its Legal Committee's decision which handed the three points of the first-leg match to Ahli. Ahli had protested against the participation of Shabab striker Abdul Aziz Al-Sa'aran, who had been banned by the AFC. Wehdah beat Ittifaq 4-3 in Dammam. Wehdah had won its home first-leg match 2-1. According to the regulations of the competition, if two teams share points in their encounters, the number of goals scored away determines the winner. Midfielder Majed Al-Marhoum scored the game's lone goal for Shabab in the 33rd minute of the match. Ahli pressed for a goal from the start and could have scored one early when skipper Tayseer Al-Jassim kicked strongly from the 18-yard line. However, Shabab keeper Waleed Abdullah denied the midfielder's attempt. Abdullah was in action again four minutes later when he disappointed the Green's Omani striker Emad Al-Hosani, who kicked from a closed range after escaping an offside trap. With time running out, it was a do-or-die battle for Shabab. Marhoum finally succeeded in heading Brazilian Marcelo Camacho's high cross into the goal in the 33rd minute after Ahli defender Jufain Al-Bishi failed to clear his area. In Dammam, striker Yousuf Al-Salem put Ittifaq in the lead in the fourth minute before his teammate midfielder Ala Raishani doubled the lead eight minutes later. Following a corner kick, Wehdah midfielder Mukhtar Fallata headed from a flying position to decrease the margin and Al-Salem succeeded in scoring again to widen the gap when he headed a corner kick into the Red's net a minute into stoppage time of the first half. Wehdah started its revival 17 minutes after the break when Argentinean midfielder Sbastian Tegali managed to make it 4-1. Ittifaq keeper Fa'iz Al-Subai'e brought Wehdah striker Mohanned Aseeri down in the area six minutes later. Fallata made no mistake from the spot from the resulting penalty. Fallata then jumped to head a corner kick into the far corner of Ittifaq net in the 77th minute to make it 4-3, but that was the best they could do.
