Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli to face each other in the King's Cup semi-finals

Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli advanced to the Round of 16 of the King of the Two Holy Mosques Cup football tournament yesterday evening, after the former defeated Al-Raed 2-0, while the latter beat Al-Anwar 2-1 in the Round of 32 matches.

In the first match between Al-Hilal and Al-Raed, held at King Abdullah Sports City in Buraydah, Portuguese midfielder Ruben Neves opened the scoring for Al-Hilal from a penalty kick in the 14th minute, before the same player doubled his team’s lead by scoring the second goal in the 82nd minute.

In the second match between Al-Ahli and Al-Anwar, played at Al-Anwar Club Stadium in Hawtat Bani Tamim, Al-Ahli took the lead through Armenian forward Eduard Spertsyan in the 61st minute, before Brazilian forward Wender Galvão added a second goal in the 89th minute. Al-Anwar reduced the deficit through Reda Ben Saïd in the second minute of stoppage time in the second half, but Al-Ahli maintained their lead until the final whistle to secure their place in the Round of 16 of the King of the Two Holy Mosques Cup.

Al-Qadsiah also advanced to the Round of 16 after defeating Al-Taee 5-0, while Al-Riyadh and Al-Fayha reached the same stage following Al-Riyadh’s 2-0 win over Al-Zulfi and Al-Fayha’s identical 2-0 victory over Al-Adalah.

The Round of 32 matches continue today with three games: Dumuk will face Al-Taawoun, Jeddah will play Al-Kholood, and Al-Ula will take on Al-Fateh.

Meanwhile, Abha has signed Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi on a free transfer.

Abha Club posted on its X account: “One chance is enough for him. Michy Batshuayi is an Abha player,” adding, “Abha Sports Club management has signed Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi to represent the first team on a free transfer.”

The 32-year-old joined Abha after spending the past two seasons with German club Eintracht Frankfurt, whom he joined after a Turkish stint that saw him play for Beşiktaş, Fenerbahçe, and Galatasaray.

After beginning his professional career with Belgian side Standard Liège in 2011, Batshuayi moved to French club Marseille in 2014, where he stayed until 2016 before signing with English club Chelsea.

During his time at Chelsea, Batshuayi was loaned to several clubs, including German side Borussia Dortmund and Spanish club Valencia, as well as English side Crystal Palace and Turkish club Beşiktaş, before signing permanently with Fenerbahçe in 2022.

Batshuayi won the Premier League title with Chelsea in 2017, one of three major trophies he has won during his career, alongside the Turkish Cup and Turkish Super Cup with Fenerbahçe (2023) and Beşiktaş (2021), respectively.

Between 2015 and 2024, he earned 55 caps for Belgium, scoring 27 goals.