Ahli and Al-Noor secured semifinal berths at the 11th Asian Clubs Championship here Friday. Al-Ahli won 27-23 over Foolaz of Iran while Al-Noor beat Al-Sadd of Lebanon 27-21 in the matches which held at the Indoor Hall of the General Presidency of Youth Welfare (GPYW). The two Saudi representatives will play their last fixtures on Saturday without any pressure. They will, however, be seeking to maintain their lead to avoid clashing in the semifinals round. Host Al-Ahli takes on Al-Qadissiyah of Kuwait while Al-Noor plays Ahli Qatar. Al-Noor and Al-Ahli top Group A and B respectively on six points each. Ace player Ahmed Yanbawi missed Jeddah Al-Ahli's clash Friday after picking up an injury during their match against Kuwait's Al-Fehaheel on Thursday. The home team players put on a brilliant performance in the first half which ended 15-13 for Al-Ahli but Foolaz stormed back after the break and drew with the host team. Ahmed Al-Harbi and Mohammed Abu Risha, however, led Al-Ahli to increase the margin before helping it seal the win. Al-Ahli's Egyptian player Abu Risha believed that second half periods were crucial for his teammates who were desperate to book a spot in the semifinals. “The Iranian team was a strong rival with its international players but Ahli Jeddah had the upper hand after the break and stole the show perfectly,” Abu Risha said. Al-Noor, meanwhile, faced no difficulties in overcoming Al-Sadd of Lebanon. Al-Noor went into the break with a three-goal lead before the team sealed a 27-21 victory. In other matches of the day, Al-Sadd of Qatar beat its country club Al-Ahli 35-31 in their Group A encounter while Al-Fehaheel beat Al-Qadissiyah, both from Kuwait, 25
