The 2016 Saudi Super Cup was the fourth edition of the Saudi Super Cup, an annual football match contested by the winners of the previous season's Saudi Pro League and King Cup competitions.
The match was played on 8 August 2016 between Al-Ahli, the winners of both the 2015–16 Saudi Pro League and the 2016 King Cup, and Al-Hilal, the winners of the 2015–16 Crown Prince Cup. Normally, the Saudi Super Cup is contested by the league and King Cup champions, but since Al-Ahli won both competitions, Al-Hilal qualified as Crown Prince Cup winners — the first time a team qualified this way. The match was held at Craven Cottage in London, England, marking the second consecutive edition of the Saudi Super Cup to be played abroad.
The match ended in a 1–1 draw after regular time and was decided by a penalty shoot-out, with Al-Ahli winning 4–3 to claim their first Saudi Super Cup title.
Background
Al-Ahli qualified as champions of the 2015–16 Saudi Pro League and winners of the 2016 King Cup. It was their first Saudi Super Cup appearance since the competition was introduced in 2013.
Al-Hilal qualified as winners of the 2015–16 Crown Prince Cup, having defeated Al-Ahli 2–1 in the final on 19 February 2016 to claim a record-extending 13th title. This was their second Super Cup appearance, as they were also the defending champions, having won the previous edition in 2015.
The most recent meeting between the two sides prior to the Super Cup was a 3–1 victory for Al-Ahli at King Abdullah Stadium on 24 April 2016. Al-Hilal took the lead through Carlos Eduardo in the 10th minute, but Omar Al-Somah scored twice in the second half to turn the match around, and Housain Al-Mogahwi sealed the win with a third goal in stoppage time. The result secured Al-Ahli the league title in dramatic fashion.
Match Details Source:
GK 1 Yasser Al MosailemRB 21 Ageel BalghaithCB 6 Mohammed Al Fatil CB 25 Motaz HawsawiLB 13 Mohamed Abdel-ShafyCM 18 Luíz CarlosCM 8 Taisir Al-Jassim (c)RW 7 Salman Al-MoasherAM 10 Giannis Fetfatzidis LW 24 Ali Awagi CF 9 Omar Al SomahSubstitutes:GK 66 Basem AtallahDF 31 Mansoor Al-HarbiDF 28 Mohammed Aman MF 47 Mustafa Bassas MF 11 Housain Al-Mogahwi MF 19 Ryan Al-MousaFW 20 Islam SerajManager: José Manuel Gomes GK 1 Abdullah Al-MayoufRB 2 Mohammed Al-Breik CB 33 Osama HawsawiCB 70 Mohammed JahfaliLB 13 Fahad GhaziRM 29 Salem Al-DawsariCM 6 Abdulmalek Al-KhaibriCM 18 Abdulmajeed Al-RuwailiLM 24 Nawaf Al Abed CF 10 Mohammad Al-Shalhoub (c) CF 9 Léo Bonatini Substitutes:GK 22 Fahad Al-ThunayanMF 19 Khalid KaabiMF 14 Saud KaririMF 8 Abdullah OtayfMF 7 Salman Al-Faraj FW 15 Nasser Al-Shamrani FW 20 Yasser Al-Qahtani Manager: Gustavo Matosas
Man of the Match: Omar Al-Somah
Assistant referees: Yves De Neve Kevin MontenyMatch rules 90 minutes. No extra time. Penalty shoot-out if scores level. Seven named substitutes, of which up to three may be used.
See also 2016–17 Saudi Pro League 2016–17 Crown Prince Cup 2017 King Cup
References