The Media Center (Riyadh)
The Al-Ahli basketball team achieved victory yesterday, Tuesday, over Al-Ittihad in the final of the Ministry of Sports Cup for this season. The final was held for the first time in the indoor arena at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, amidst a large and enthusiastic crowd that filled the arena and created a vibrant and captivating atmosphere.
Al Ahli qualified for the final after defeating Al-Ula in Jeddah in the semi-final of the tournament, and will face Al-Ittihad, who qualified after defeating Al-Fateh in Al-Ahsa.
Amidst a large and enthusiastic crowd, the final match kicked off with intense focus from both teams. From start to finish, neither team managed to establish a significant or noticeable advantage over the other. The match was evenly contested and exciting; even the point difference between the teams remained tight. Al-Ahli only managed to extend their lead to seven points before Al-Ittihad fought back. Similarly, Al-Ittihad never led by more than five points before Al-Ahli rallied to tie the score and share control.
The situation remained this way until Al-Ahli managed to understand Al-Ittihad’s attacking style. In the final moments of the match, specifically in the last 34 seconds, Al-Ahli managed to take a two-point lead over Al-Ittihad, effectively tightened their defense, maintained this lead, and prevented Al-Ittihad from scoring in two consecutive attacks, ultimately winning the match with a score of 80-78.
His Excellency the Deputy Minister of Sports for Sports and Youth Affairs, Mr. Abdulaziz Al-Musaed, and Dr. Ghassan Tashkandi, President of the Saudi Basketball Federation, crowned Al-Ahli team with the cup and gold medals, and Al-Ittihad team with the silver medals.
Dr. Ghassan Tashkandi: A successful season by all measures.
The President of the Saudi Arabian Basketball Federation, Dr. Ghassan Tashkandi, expressed his delight at the success of the current basketball season, which demonstrated to everyone the high level of popularity it enjoys and the high technical performance of all teams, as evidenced by the results of the championships, which were split equally between Al-Ittihad, Al-Ula, and Al-Ahli. He also praised the attendance of Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli fans in the final, which was held for the first time in the King Abdullah Sports City hall, which can accommodate 10,000 fans, as they added extra splendor and joy to the beauty of the match. Finally, he congratulated Al-Ahli on winning the championship.
Worth noting that with this championship, the Al Ahly basketball team’s tally becomes five championships, consisting of one league title, three Ministry Cup titles, and one Golden Square championship.
Where this year’s season championships ended in a tie between Al-Ittihad, the league champion, Al-Ula, the Golden Square champion, and finally Al-Ahli, the champion of the Ministry of Sports Cup..
