Ahli secured an important 1-0 away win over Al-Hilal in the first-leg semifinal match of the Custodian of the Two Moly Mosques Cup at the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh Monday. Ahli was the better team throughout and came close to scoring on more than one occasion. Ahli made Hilal play most of the game in its half. Emad Al-Hosani secured the winner for Ahli in the 60th minute when he put an excellently-placed Al-Jizawi pass in front of Hilal goalkeeper in their net. Ahli coach brought in Al-Hosani when striker Victor seriously injured his foot. Al-Hosani was also playing his first match following an injury break. After the goal, Ahli drew back, relying mainly on counterattacks. This gave Hilal an advantage and it launched a number of dangerous attacks. Those were, however, cleverly blocked by a well-organized Ahli defense. The two teams will play the second-leg semifinal at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah on Friday. Al-Nasr and Al-Fateh will clash in the second first-leg semifinal match in Riyadh Tuesday. West Ham closes on EPL return West Ham United is just one match away from an immediate return to the EPL following last season's relegation after over-powering Cardiff City 3-0 in the Championship playoff semifinal. __
