Mamado scored either side of the break as Al Ahli pulled off a major upset in the King Cup championship, knocking out title holders Muharraq 2-1 in the quarter-final yesterday.
In the other quarter-final clash of the evening, last season’s runners-up Al Hidd eased past Manama 3-0 to set up a last-four clash with Ahli.
Mamado struck quite early, in the fourth minute of the match, for Ahli and they fended off Muharraq’s inroads, staying ahead 1-0 at half-time.
Muharraq’s desperate attempts to score an equaliser were finally rewarded in the 72nd minute when veteran striker Isamil Abdullatif pierced the Ahli defence and drew level.
Muharraq fought hard for a lead, but the Ahli defence managed to thwart their rivals. Muharraq players were left shell-shocked when, in the 82nd minute, Mamado struck again for Ahli. Muharraq were kept at bay in the few remaining minutes as Ahli sealed a memorable win.
Ahmed Mirza scored first for Hidd as they led 1-0 at half-time against Manama. Brazilian Eric netted a goal in the 69th minute to take Hidd 2-0 ahead as Manama struggled to keep up with their opponents’ pace.
Hidd extended the lead further during injury time when Brazilian Paolo Victor converted a penalty.
Riffa and East Riffa had booked their berths in the semi-finals on Sunday. Riffa edged Al Najma 1-0 while East Riffa held off Al Hala 2-1.
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