Al-Kholood and Al-Hilal Advance to Saudi King’s Cup Final After Thrilling Semifinals

The foreign ownership journey of Saudi clubs has started on a remarkable note. When Ben Harburg acquired Al-Kholood, even he would not have imagined his team would reach the final of the Saudi King’s Cup in his first season. But reach it they did, fighting back twice to hold Al-Ittihad to a 2-2 draw after extra time before winning 5-4 on penalties. On the other side of the draw, Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal played to a 1-1 stalemate, with Yassine Bounou’s penalty heroics securing a 4-2 shootout victory for the Blues.

Each semifinal offered its own drama. In Qassim, Al-Kholood lined up in a compact 5-3-2 formation to force Al-Ittihad wide, limiting the effectiveness of Steven Bergwijn and Houssem Aouar. Al-Ittihad initially took the lead through Moussa Diaby, who had come off the bench after Mahamadou Doumbia suffered a knee injury in the first half. Diaby struck from distance following a clever free-kick lay-off to send the visitors ahead at halftime.

Al-Kholood refused to surrender, however. Abdulaziz Al-Aliwa equalized in the 73rd minute, and extra-time saw Diaby set up Bergwijn for what appeared to be the winning goal in the 96th minute. But the underdogs responded again, with 20-year-old substitute Adam Berry scoring a stunning long-range strike in the 111th minute to level the match and send it to penalties.

The shootout proved tense. Shaquille Pinas and Unas converted for Al-Kholood, while Fabinho scored for Al-Ittihad. Al-Aouar’s effort was saved, keeping Al-Kholood ahead, and despite a late recovery from Al-Ittihad, Iker Kortajarena’s decisive penalty and Diaby’s final miss secured a historic win for the club.

In Jeddah, Al-Ahli sought to break down a disciplined Al-Hilal side. Karim Benzema and Theo Hernandez combined with Salem Al-Dawsari to give the visitors a 39th-minute lead, while Ivan Toney equalized for Al-Ahli from the penalty spot in the 78th minute after VAR intervention. Extra time saw no further goals, setting the stage for another dramatic shootout.

Bounou’s heroics dominated the penalty drama. He saved efforts from Toney and Galeno, while Mendy’s near-denial of Sultan Mandash could not prevent the goal. The shootout ended 4-2 in Al-Hilal’s favor after Theo Hernandez struck emphatically to seal victory.

From Al-Kholood’s giant-killing run to Al-Hilal’s resilience on rival turf, both matches highlighted the drama and unpredictability of the Saudi King’s Cup. Al-Kholood will enter the final as underdogs with a remarkable story, while Al-Hilal aims to continue their pursuit of silverware after navigating one of the most competitive semifinals in recent memory.