Jordanian sides and Morocco’s Ultra Chmicha reach Kings League MENA semi-finals

Three teams reached the Kings League MENA semi-finals after a dramatic quarter-final night in Riyadh, with holders DR7 eliminated and several matches decided by late goals and shootouts.

3BS defeated Saudi Arabian champions DR7 on penalties after an extraordinary 5-5 draw at the Coal Arena. The Jordanian team, led by president Absi, held its nerve in the shootout to complete one of the biggest upsets of the opening Split.

French goalkeeper JMK became the decisive figure for 3BS. Despite suffering an injury during the shootout, he stayed on the pitch and continued despite the pain before making a series of saves, including the stop that secured his team’s place in the last four.

DR7 had turned to their new co-president, Saudi Arabia international Khaled Al-Ghannam, to take the “President’s Penalty”. He scored, but his effort could not prevent the holders from going out. 3BS will face Morocco’s Ultra Chmicha in the semi-finals.

Red Zone continue Jordanian success

Red Zone completed a strong night for the Jordanian teams by beating Saudi Arabian side RA2 5-3. The match brought together teams with identical records of five wins and four defeats.

“Gilles Vidal” opened the scoring for Red Zone and later scored the decisive goal in Matchball Mode. RA2 were left to rue missed opportunities after failing to convert two shootout attempts and their President’s Penalty.

Red Zone will play FWZ in the semi-finals. FWZ had already secured their place in the Final Four by finishing top of the standings.

Granero inspires Ultra Chmicha

Ultra Chmicha secured a narrow 7-6 victory over Egypt’s Turbo in the night’s other quarter-final, earning a semi-final place under president Elias El Maliki.

Moroccan forward Mark Granero scored a hat-trick in the sixth, 22nd and 35th minutes, including a powerful long-range strike. Co-president Yassine Boukca also converted the President’s Penalty.

The match changed in the 17th minute when Turbo midfielder Youssef El-Nabrawi was sent off. Turbo then missed further chances, with president Tarboun failing to score the President’s Penalty and wasting the Secret Card opportunity.

After Matchball Mode was activated with the score level at 6-6, Granero completed his four-goal haul with the winning strike, sending Ultra Chmicha into the semi-finals.

The evening began with the Creators Match, held in partnership with TikTok. The Kings League MENA All-Stars beat the TikTok All-Stars 3-2, with Yassine Boukca scoring twice to settle the contest.

The TikTok team was led by Hemex and included Islam Bahnas, Mohamed Deen and Abdullah Al-Ayada, who scored a President’s Penalty. The All-Stars side featured club presidents Fawaz of FWZ, Absi of 3BS, Ali Mousa “Abusarwal” of Red Zone and Abdulrahman Al-Shahri.

The season concludes on 30 October, when the semi-finals and final will be played to determine the winner of the first Kings League MENA Split.