Odion Ighalo wins Saudi King’s Cup with Al-Hilal

Nigerian forward Odion Ighalo escaped criticism for missing a penalty during the final’s shootout after lifting the Saudi King’s Cup with Al-Hilal at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah on Friday night.

Al Hilal emerged victorious in a thrilling showdown against Al Wehda with a 7-6 win in a nail-biting shootout after a 1-1 draw after an exhilarating 120 minutes.

Ighalo was unable to make a real impact during the regulation 90 minutes, and Al-Hilal needed a 99th-minute equalizer from defender Ali Al-Boleahi to take the game into extra time.

In the first half, Abdoul Karim Yoda of Al Wehda seized an opportunity and found the back of the net, giving his team the lead ten minutes before the break.

The 1-1 deadlock remained unbroken throughout extra time, setting the stage for a dramatic penalty shootout to determine the ultimate winner.

The FIFA Club World Cup finalists appeared destined to lose their third final of the season after the Club World Cup and AFC Champions League as Odion Ighalo faltered during the shootout, missing their second penalty.

However, Ighalo’s miss ultimately proved inconsequential, as four of the opening five penalties taken by both sides failed to find the back of the net.

The two teams then scored the next 11 penalties between them before Al-Hilal goalkeeper, Al-Mayouf saved from Al-Wehda forward Hazzaa Al-Ghamdi before converting the winning penalty himself to give his side their first King’s Cup trophy since the 2019/20 season.

Ighalo has now claimed his second major honour with Al-Hilal with the King’s Cup title adding to the 2021/22 Saudi Pro League title he won last year.