JEDDAH — Veteran Portuguese midfielder Danilo Pereira delivered a King's Cup semi-final performance for the ages, scoring twice in stoppage time to lead Al Ittihad to a thrilling 3-2 victory over Al Shabab at King Abdullah Sports City on Tuesday night. Pereira's late heroics came after Al Ittihad had squandered a first-half lead, with Cristian Guanca netting a quickfire double for Al Shabab in the second half. But Pereira turned the tide with two goals deep into injury time, securing a memorable "Eid gift" for the club's passionate supporters and sending the reigning league champions to the King's Cup final. Al Ittihad started brightly and earned a penalty in the 13th minute after Abdulrahman Al-Aboud was fouled by Robert Renan — a decision confirmed by VAR. Fabinho stepped up and coolly converted to make it 1-0. The hosts continued to press and nearly doubled their lead through Hamed Al-Ghamdi, whose close-range effort was denied by a brilliant save from Georgi Bushchan after a pinpoint pass from Moussa Diaby. Al Shabab, however, grew into the game and almost leveled on the stroke of halftime. Daniel Podence rattled the post with a powerful shot from the edge of the area, and moments later Yannick Carrasco was denied by Predrag Rajković, who blocked his shot with his foot. After the restart, Al Shabab looked sharper and equalized in the 64th minute with a stunning long-range effort from Guanca, before the Argentine forward completed the turnaround three minutes later with a close-range header off a Carrasco cross. Guanca's night ended prematurely due to an apparent leg injury, leaving Al Shabab to defend their lead without their key playmaker. Al Ittihad pushed forward desperately in search of an equalizer. In the 91st minute, Karim Benzema nearly leveled with a fierce shot that struck the side netting. But just a minute later, Pereira pounced. After a Benzema header was parried by Bushchan, Danilo reacted quickest to nod home the rebound and make it 2-2. The final blow came in the 99th minute, when a failed clearance from a corner dropped to Pereira, who slammed the ball in from close range to complete a stunning comeback and send Al Ittihad into the final. Al Ittihad will now await the winner of the second semi-final between Al Qadsiah and Al Raed, scheduled for Wednesday.
