Al Hilal and Al Ittihad look to carry King's Cup joy into the Saudi Professional League

TWIST OF FATE

A disastrous week appeared to have, somehow, taken a turn for the worse when Al Ittihad found themselves 2-0 down to minnows Al Batin in Monday’s King’s Cup quarter-final.

Harrowing memories would have been fresh from the previous Friday’s capitulation from 2-0 ahead against Al Faisaly, with the eventual 3-2 defeat denying this historical giant a first escape from the relegation places in 2018/19.

Another distressing defeat would have been too much, surely, to handle for a club whose confidence has received hammer blow after hammer blow.

Instead, a remarkable rally ended in an eventual 4-3 victory and a berth in the semi-finals for the holders.

Attackers Romarinho and Aleksandar Prijovic must continue to be pivotal figures for Jose Luis Sierra when they play Batin, this time in the top flight, on Friday.

The former made the most of Garry Rodrigues’ late withdrawal against Batin, netting the clincher. Serbia striker Prijovic also got a brace, halting a two-match scoreless streak.

They’ve made it to the play-off spot. The serenity of safety is, tantalisingly, close.

HILAL’S HEAVYWEIGHTS

Hopes of Hilal regaining top spot in this round can be filed away as ‘highly optimistic’.

New leaders Al Nassr – courtesy of last weekend’s rousing derby beating of the Crescent – will surely make it eight SPL triumphs on the spin when they travel to mid-table Al Raed on Thursday.

Instead, the mission for Hilal is to keep the gap at one point and apply pressure on the same night at 11^th-placed Al Hazem.

It is difficult to gauge the mood in boss Zoran Mamic’s ranks. A depleted side were put through the ringer at Ettifaq on Monday, making it 2-2 deep into second-half injury time through centre-back – who else? – Mohammed Jahfali’s towering header and then finally going ahead through Peru winger Andre Carrillo’s rebound in the 105^th minute.

They either prevailed, in trying circumstance, without the likes of Brazilian talisman Carlos Eduardo and tired France striker Bafetimbi Gomis, or scraped through a manic match.

How they weather the suspension of centre midfielder Mohammed Kanno will be a key determinant of the Hilal’s hordes’ happiness.

TAAWOUN’S TIME

Everything is coming together nicely for 2018/19’s surprise package.

Last term, Taawoun finished a forgettable seventh in the top flight and exited the King’s Cup at the round of 32 to opponents drawn from Prince Mohammad bin Salman League.

Fast forward 12 months and Tuesday’s 3-0 thumping of Al Wehda has reinforced an image as a team to fear in the semi-finals. If results fall their way in the SPL, with third-placed Al Shabab Riyadh hosting Al Ahli Jeddah on Friday and Taawoun meeting second-bottom Al Fayha on Saturday, then a gatecrashing of the 2020 AFC Champions League spots will occur.

They rival pacesetters Nassr for experiencing the greatest transformation under the eight-player foreign quota.

But, in contrast, their smartest pick-ups – such as 19-goal Cameroon striker Leandre Tawamba and steady Brazil goalkeeper Cassio – were not procured at exorbitant cost.

At a time when the Saudi Arabian Football Federation’s technical committee has highlighted continued financial folly by many of the Kingdom’s clubs, Taawoun stand apart.