Jordan's two representatives reach the Kings League semi-finals
Amman3 min read
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The Boulevard Arena in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, hosted top-tier clashes during the quarter-finals of the first split (Split 1) of the Kings League MENA, resulting in the qualification of Jordan's 3BS and Red Zone teams, alongside Morocco's Ultra Chmicha team to the semi-finals.
The battle for the final four featured a fierce match decided by shootouts, after 3BS successfully eliminated the defending champion, Saudi Arabia's DR7, following a 5-5 draw in regulation time. French goalkeeper JMK stole the spotlight as the hero for 3BS; despite suffering an injury during the penalty shootouts, he remained on the field enduring his visible pain, managing to block a series of shots, in addition to making numerous saves during the match, to gift his team qualification.
DR7 fielded its new co-president, Saudi national team star Khaled Al-Ghannam, to take the "President's Penalty". Although he successfully scored, it was not enough to keep the defending champion in the tournament, allowing 3BS to advance to the next stage, where they will face Morocco's Ultra Chmicha team.
Red Zone, Jordan's other representative, booked its spot in the semi-finals following an exciting 5-3 victory over its Saudi counterpart, RA2.
The match was entered with identical records in the league stage, with five wins and four defeats each. "Gil Vidal" opened the scoring for Red Zone, continuing his brilliance by scoring the decisive winning goal in Matchball Mode. In contrast, RA2 paid the price for missed opportunities after squandering two shootouts during the match, in addition to missing the President's Penalty. With this victory, Red Zone advances to the semi-finals to face FWZ, which had secured direct qualification to the final four after topping the league stage standings.
In an exciting football summit, Morocco's Ultra Chmicha snatched the ticket to the semi-finals after a hard-fought 7-6 victory over Egypt's Turbo.
Ultra Chmicha's star, "Marc Granero", stood out by scoring three goals in the 6th, 22nd, and 35th minutes, including a stunning long-range shot.
The match witnessed a decisive turning point in the 17th minute with the expulsion of Turbo midfielder Youssef El-Nebrawi. The team paid the price for squandering clear chances, as team president Tarbon failed to convert the President's Penalty, and the team also missed the "Secret Card" shootout opportunity. With Matchball Mode activated and the score tied at 6-6, Ultra Chmicha managed to grab the winning goal to seal the match 7-6. Marc Granero crowned his phenomenal effort by scoring his fourth personal goal and the decisive winner, leading the Moroccan team into the semi-finals and taking a step closer to the Split 1 title.
The season competitions will conclude next Friday, featuring the semi-finals and final matches to crown the Kings League MENA Split 1 champion.
