Nasr scored a surprising 2-1 win over Saudi League champion Al-Shabab in the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup of Champions at the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh Monday. Shabab drew first blood in the 17th minute amid light showers when Fernando made the most of poor Nasr defending. But it was evident that the team was exhausted following a long season. Nasr leveled the game in the 40th minute through a nicely-placed header by Saud Homoud. The two-time King's Cup champion, Shabab, suffered further woes when its defender Fernando was red-carded for hitting a Nasr player in the face. Moroccan midfielder Haj Bugash made it 2-1 on the resultant penalty shot in the 45th minute. Nasr defense managed to keep Shabab at bay to bag the first game. In Jeddah it was an altogether different ball game as Al-Ahli routed Al-Faisaly 5-1 at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium. Ahli should not find any problem going all the way to semifinals. __
