أولى مفاجآت الكأس.. الباطن يُطيح بالاتفاق

Al-Batin achieved one of the first surprises of the King Abdulaziz Cup by winning a thrilling match against their guests, Al-Ettifaq, through penalty shootouts 4-2 after a 2-2 draw in regular and extra time. The match took place at Al-Batin Club's stadium as part of the Round of 32 of the tournament, allowing Al-Batin to advance to the Round of 16 while Al-Ettifaq exited the competition.

The match witnessed a strong start from Al-Ettifaq, who managed to take the lead. After an organized attack, Khalid Al-Ghannam delivered a high cross that reached Francisco Kafu, who shot it low, and the Egyptian Ahmed Kouka nudged it into the net for the first goal for Al-Ettifaq (18'). Al-Batin responded before the end of the first half after a pass from Mboko to the advancing Diaby, but goalkeeper Rodak saved the ball, which then reached Khalid Al-Khathlan, who deposited it into the net for Al-Batin's equalizer (40'). Al-Ettifaq regained the lead at the start of the second half with a cross from Francisco Kafu, which Wijnaldum played directly into the net for Al-Ettifaq's second goal (47'). In stoppage time, Al-Batin equalized through substitute Mohammed Al-Suhaili (90+3'). The draw continued in the extra periods, leading both teams to penalties, which favored Al-Batin after goalkeeper Mazid Farah saved penalties from Ondrej Duda and Francisco Calvo, while Wijnaldum and Midran successfully scored. In contrast, Al-Batin did not miss any penalty, successfully scoring through Mohammed Al-Suhaili, Khalid Al-Khathlan, Youssef Mushangama, and Qusay Al-Khaibari.

Thus, Al-Batin advances to the Round of 16, while Al-Ettifaq exits the tournament.