League Play-Off

ARDA TURAN
Spectators: 36 (Terracing: 28, Seating: 8, VIP seats: 0) 4 minutes into the game, Kinlet's Awwad Al Herz nearly tore a hole in the net with a booming shot. Nawaf Sarkhoh made a valiant effort, but he could not reach the ball in time, 0-1. An unexpectedly hard shot by Moner Al Kandere in the 13th minute of play forced Istanbul Forever's goalkeeper Nawaf Sarkhoh to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. When Yousef Shalan fell near the penalty area in the 16th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Istanbul Forever's protests and gave Yousef Shalan a yellow card for diving instead. In the 16th minute, one of Istanbul Forever:s players had the ball in front of the goal but got pushed and fell. The referee felt it was an obvious case and blew a penalty for Istanbul Forever. Mosalam Al Baghli shot the penalty kick right outside the post. In the 22nd minute Awwad Al Herz shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Nawaf Sarkhoh saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. In the 23rdth minute of the game Moner Al Kandere who was perfectly placed tried to make a shot on goal, but Istanbul Forever's Nawaf Sarkhoh was lucky and managed to grab hold of the ball. Moner Al Kandere fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 26th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Nawaf Sarkhoh having to interfere. In the 28th minute Awwad Al Herz shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Nawaf Sarkhoh saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. 29 minutes into the match, Istanbul Forever's goal looked a bit too open when Awwad Al Herz came free, but Nawaf Sarkhoh reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. If Awwad Al Herz had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 30th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. In the 34th minute the ball was on its way in behind Istanbul Forever's goalkeeper Nawaf Sarkhoh, but with the help of a sacrificing defense, he could catch the ball at the crossbar. 36 minutes into the game, Awwad Al Herz cracked a shot to the right of the goalkeeper, 0-3. Nawaf Sarkhoh was not in position, and could only watch the ball fly in. A collision led to Kinlet getting a freekick after 39 minutes play. Msaed Al Khars hit a great ball. A collision led to Istanbul Forever getting a freekick after 41 minutes play. Bandar Al Bloshi hit a great ball. In the 44th minute of the match Kinlet got a corner. Istanbul Forever's goalie ran out to the linesman to protest the call, but the linesman resolutely pointed his flag at the cornerflag. Mosalam Al Baghli ran over to the corner to take the kick. Kinlet's Yaseen Al Mahmed was first on the ball when the corner was shot and he dangerously headed the ball towards goal, but Nawaf Sarkhoh in the goal jumped up to prevent it from getting in. The crowd was extremely unhappy with the home team's performance in the first half. They were losing 0-3.

Both teams looked relatively alert before the second half when the referee blew his whistle to tell Hakem Al Shemali to make the kick off. Istanbul Forever's Nawaf Sarkhoh played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Awwad Al Herz in the 54th minute of play. Moner Al Kandere could have scored with his fast shot on goal in the 55th minute of the match, but Nawaf Sarkhoh made a huge save. The referee was alert and spotted a serious foul by Fahad Bahroh during the 55th minute. The player immediately received a yellow card. After a rather tough play, Istanbul Forever's Fahad Bahroh got a free kick in the 55th minute. 57 minutes into the game, Awwad Al Herz recieved a splendid long ball, split the defenders, and gently placed the ball to the left of Nawaf Sarkhoh. Awwad Al Herz showed that you don't have to tear a hole in the net to score, 0-4. In the 62nd minute Hakem Al Shemali shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Jawad Al Habshi saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. Moner Al Kandere kicked well hit freekick during the 70th minute of the match. Nawaf Sarkhoh made a fantastic save in the 71st minute, when Moner Al Kandere sent off a good shot on target. 72 minutes into the match, Istanbul Forever's goal looked a bit too open when Awwad Al Herz came free, but Nawaf Sarkhoh reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. After some fancy dribbling in the 75th minute, Awwad Al Herz managed to get in a good position for a shot. Kinlet's supporters rose to their feet, but Awwad Al Herz was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Nawaf Sarkhoh breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. Nawaf Sarkhoh came out of the goal in the 83rd minute to try and stop a shot by Kinlet's Moner Al Kandere. But to his dismay, Moner Al Kandere quickly shot the ball in between his legs and into the goal making it 0-5. Hakem Al Shemali fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 86th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Jawad Al Habshi having to interfere. Jawad Al Habshi showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Waheed Al Baghli, who was totally free with the ball in the 89th minute. 92 minutes into the match, Kinlet's goal looked a bit too open when Waheed Al Baghli came free, but Jawad Al Habshi reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Hakem Al Shemali fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 97th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Jawad Al Habshi having to interfere. The Istanbul Forever fans had already started to leave before the final whistle blew. Kinlet were clearly better and deserved to take the win.