Future Falcons earned a vital victory over Italian visitors Juventus, winning 3-2 at the club’s home venue in Salou, as part of Group A in Al Abtal Cup.
The match got off to a fiercely contested start with both teams looking strong as they both sought to take control of the game. Both teams’ strikers had chances to score but failed to convert their chances into clear shots on goal. Towards the end of the first half, the Future Falcons managed to turn their pressure into the opening goal when Ali Almaki made a brilliant run down the right flank, delivering a low cross to Hamed Adam, who found the net. With that the first half came to an end with a 1-0 lead for the Saudi side.
At the start of the second half, Ali Almaki capitalised on a mistake by goalkeeper Emanuele, snatching the ball and racing towards the empty net, evading a defender, and scoring the second goal for the Saudi team. In the 57th minute, Ali Almaki struck again with a powerful shot from the right that beat goalkeeper Emanuele and nestled in the back of the net.
Juventus managed to reduce the deficit through Emanuele Acruocetti, who seized on a loose ball from goalkeeper Khalid Aldossri. In the 75th minute, Juventus then capitalised on a defensive error from Future Falcons, with Acruocetti striking a low shot into the bottom corner of the net to narrow the gap to just one. The Italian side pushed for an equaliser with attack after attack, but the resolute defending from the Saudi team prevented them from scoring again. As such, the match resulted in a famous victory for Future Falcons and a vital 3 points to help their progress in Group A
