Penalty Drama and Tears: Al-Ahli Survive a Cup Clash Against Al-Qadisiyah

Match Drama and Penalties

Al-Ahli beat Al-Qadisiyah on penalties (5-4) after a marathon clash at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium on Friday night, with both regular time and extra time finishing 3-3.

The encounter delivered high drama on the pitch and controversy off it, including two penalties (one for each side) and three goals ruled out for Al-Ahli.

According to Jordanian referee expert Ahmed Abu Khdeija, cited by Al-Yawm, the Al-Ahli spot-kick was correct, and there was a clear foul by Al-Qadisiyah on Mathios Goncalves. He also stated the offside that cancelled Frank Kissee’s goal was validly disallowed, and the two other suspected disallowed goals for Al-Ahli were offside as well.

In a separate moment, Musab Al-Juwair (Al-Qadisiyah and Saudi national team) burst into tears after the defeat, with Zakaria Hosawi among those calming him. Al-Ahli’s Brazilian forward Galino Wenderson appeared aggrieved after being subbed, reacting by kicking a ball and unintentionally knocking a camera when frustrated by the substitution.

The match also featured a strong narrative about avoiding a repeat of past cup heartbreak, with the Saudis noting that penalties finally favored the Riyadh-based side this time.

Coach Matias Jaissle’s cup mentality continued to shine as he forged a reputation for success in knockout football, reinforcing his presence on the touchline and in the trophy room.

Punchline 1: If football had a reset button, this cup run just pressed it with a red-card-sized exclamation mark.

Punchline 2: Penalties are nature’s way of saying, “Trust me, you don’t actually need a goalie for drama.”