The new feather in the cap of Al-Hilal Club not only adds more glory and color but also ignites a fire in the team to strive for more laurels. The two birds in one stone at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh - the Crown Prince Cup and a place in the next King Fahd Cup for champions - will be a terrific psychological boost for the Riyadh giants to gun for the Premier League title, which is the top honor in Saudi soccer. By winning the Crown Prince Cup for the seventh time Hilal has added a new chapter to its bright history. Hilal now stays second in the Premier League with 39 points to Al-Ittihad, which has 47 points. But if Hilal could maintain the momentum and run over the rivals in the remaining five matches, including the crucial and final tie against Ittihad, that would be an icing on the cake for the renowned club. The Premier League leader Ittihad has only two matches left in the championship. With the loss of Crown Prince cup, the runner-up Al-Ittifaq has now lost the chance to win any of the season's competitions as the Dammam club's position is weak in the remaining championships of the Saudi Premier League and Prince Faisal Cup. With 27 points Al-Ittifaq stays fifth with five matches to go. If the Eastern Province club continued on the same rhythm, it will book a place in the King Fhad Cup for champions where the winners of the three competitions beside the first six teams in the league figure. Sixteen teams have participated in the Crown Prince Cup with two teams Dhamak of Khamis Mushait and Jeddah's Al-Rabee' playing for the first time. There was no surprise in the first stage of the competition except Najran beating Al-Wehdah 3-2 in Makkah. Al-Hilal cruised to the quarterfinals after beating its home rival Al-Nasr 2-0 while Al-Ittifaq edged the new promoted team Al-Rabee' 5-0 in Dammam. Defending champion Al-Ahli had a good start as the team humiliated Al-Jabalain of Hail 6-0. Jeddah's Al-Ittihad had a tough journey to the quarterfinal after beating Al-Qadissiyah 3-2 in a crucial meeting in Al-Khobar. Al-Riyadh, Al-Taei and Dhamak failed to hold on from the beginning of the race after losing to Al-Hazm, Al-Watani and Al-Shabab respectively. In the quarterfinals, Al-Ittifaq shocked Al-Ittihad 2-1 in Jeddah while Al-Hilal had an easy task in Al-Rass beating Al-Hazm by the same score. Al-Ahli and Al-Shabab qualified to the semifinals after edging Najran and Al-Watani. Al-Ahli won 3-1 in Jeddah while Al-Shabab travelled to the Northern Region and came back with a 2-0 victory. Al-Ittifaq continued its brilliant show in the semifinals when the team drew with the former champion Al-Ahli 2-2 in Jeddah before sealing a 2-1 victory in the second leg at home. Riyadh rivals Al-Hilal and Al-Shabab drew goalless in the first leg before Al-Shabab's Faisal Al-Obaili rewarded Al-Hilal with an own goal in the second. Al-Hilal with its experience in the final matches easily clinched the cup thanks to first half goals through Yasser A-Qahatni and Libyan Tariq Al-Taib. Al-Hilal's goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Deayea who lifted his first cup with the team as a captain announced his retirement after the match but Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Emir of Riyadh, who patronized the final, asked the ace goalkeeper to rethink. Al-Deayea holds the world record for most international caps with 181 for Saudi Arabia since making his debut in 1990. __
