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Rabat – Al Hilal SC has defeated Wydad AC 5-3 in a penalty shootout to qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final, where they will face Brazilian club Flamengo.
After a goalless first half, right-back Ayoub El Amloud opened the scoring for Wydad in the 52nd minute with a header from an assist from Jalal Daoudi.
The game carried on until stoppage time, when Yahya Attiat-Allah conceded a penalty from a hand ball, with teammate Yahya Jabrane getting his second booking and being sent off the pitch.
Mohammed Kanno was able to convert the penalty down the middle, giving the Saudi club their equalizer.
During extra time, Kanno got a red card of his own after a foul, bringing Al Hilal down to 10 men like their Moroccan foes.
The tie persisted throughout extra time before the game went to penalties, where Al Hilal managed to score all of their penalties while Attiat-Allah could not convert Wydad’s first one
The Arab clash between the African champions and Al Hilal, who were nominated for the competition by the Asian Football Confederation, took place on Saturday at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah in Rabat.
Wydad Head Coach Mehdi Nafti had predicted ahead of kickoff that the game would be “very difficult.”
“It’s a step up from our previous matches. But we will be ready…We will play for victory,” he had said.
AC Wydad qualified for the competition by winning the CAF Champions League, Africa’s biggest club competition.
While the AFC Champions League did not conclude in time for this tournament, Al Hilal was nominated by its continental federation as the reigning champions.
Al Hilal will be up against a tall task when they face Flamengo on Tuesday, with the Brazilian club being widely regarded as the second favorite for the title, behind Spain’s Real Madrid.
The FIFA Club World Cup is an annual competition that brings together the champions from each football federation to find the best club in the world.
Morocco was awarded the hosting of the competition in December, shortly before the 2022 World Cup wrapped up in Qatar.
