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Saudi Gazette report
RIYADH β Al Hilal took another step towards defending its King’s Cup title with a commanding 3-0 win against Al Taawoun in the quarterfinals on Monday, securing a spot in the coveted Golden Square alongside Al Khaleej.
In the first half, Al Hilal dominated with numerous scoring opportunities presenting themselves, while Al Taawoun’s goal frame denied their most dangerous chance.
Al Hilal’s breakthrough came in injury time, with a spectacular shot by Michael finding the net, confirmed after a VAR review.
The second half saw Al Hilal’s continued dominance, and Aleksander MitroviΔ finally scored with a header shortly after the break, capitalizing on several missed chances.
As time passed, Al Taawoun sought to score and get back into the game, coming close on multiple occasions but lacking finesse.
However, Malcom sealed Al Taawoun’s fate with a close-range shot six minutes before the end.
Despite Al Taawoun’s attempt to salvage a consolation goal with a superb heel touch in injury time, the referee disallowed it for offside.
With this victory, Al Hilal joins Al Khaleej, who earlier on Monday secured a spot in the semifinals with a 2-1 win over Abha, ending their unexpected journey in the tournament.
Fabio Martins opened the scoring for the visitors in the 30th minute, taking advantage of Abha’s goalkeeper’s forward positioning.
Abha equalized in the 61st minute with a skillful heel pass from Saad Bugair, courtesy of Carl Toko Ekambi’s assist.
Seven minutes before the end, Khaled Nary sealed Al Khaleej’s win with a shot from inside the penalty area.
