Lima, Jashk, Al-Ghassani and Rashid are the stars of the quarter-finals of the “Most Expensive Cup”

Moatasem Abdullah (Dubai)

The “quartet” Fabio Lima (Al-Wasl), Ahmed Jashk (Al-Nasr), Yahya Al-Ghassani (Shabab Al-Ahly), and Salem Rashid (Ittihad Kalba) snatched stardom from the quarter-final matches of the most expensive tournament, “His Highness the President’s Cup” for the 2023-2024 season, with their effective contribution. The “Emperor”, “Dean”, “Knights” and “Tigers” qualified for the semi-finals.
The Kalba and Shabab Al-Ahly Federation completed the contract of the “Gold Square” clubs for the tournament, with “Tigers” qualifying at the expense of Al-Ain 2-1, and “Al-Fursan” beating Sharjah 4-3, joining Al-Nasr which qualified against Ajman 2-1, and Al-Wasl beating Al-Jazira 3-0. .
Lima, the Al-Wasl star, scored his team’s first goal in the confrontation against Al-Jazira 3-0, while Jashk played a prominent role in the qualification of “Al-Ameed” at the expense of “Orange” after coming from behind with a Dodo goal in the 13th minute, to a 2-1 victory thanks to two goals from Adel Taarabt in the minute. 53, and Iuri Medeiros in the 55th minute.
On the other hand, Salem Rashid, defender of the “Tigers”, imposed his advantage in the confrontation against Al Ain 2-1, while the brilliant Yahya Al Ghassani contributed to the exciting victory of the “Knights” over Sharjah 4-3, by scoring the third goal in the 68th minute.
The semi-finals of the most expensive tournament, which is held in a knockout system on neutral stadiums, like the quarter-finals, scheduled for April 16 and 17, will witness confrontations between Al-Nasr and Shabab Al-Ahly, Al-Wasl and Ittihad Kalba.
The Football Association Competitions Administration avoided rescheduling the semi-finals of the most expensive tournament, after the exit of Al-Ain, which is preparing to face Al-Hilal Saudi Arabia in the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League, April 16 and 23.
The four clubs qualifying for the semi-finals in the current edition of the most expensive cup have varying experiences, starting with Ittihad Kalba, which qualified for the second time to the semi-finals after the first in the 1988-1989 season, while Shabab Al-Ahly is the most likely to have reached the “Gold Square” with 27 qualifications, compared to 24 times. For Al Wasl, and 19 times for Al Nasr.
Three of the semi-final clubs were crowned with the most expensive tournament, with the exception of Ittihad Kalba, which is seeking the dream of the first title. At the top of the list is Shabab Al-Ahly, which is crowned with ten titles, and is seeking to hold the record for the number of times it has won the most expensive tournament, after overthrowing its rival, Sharjah. On the other hand, Al-Nasr was crowned with four titles, compared to two titles. For Al-Wasl team looking to return to the forefront, since the last win in the league and cup double in the 2006-2007 season.