Future Falcons secured a vital victory over their visitors Slavia Praha, winning 4-3 in Group B of the Al Abtal Cup, in a match that saw striker Ali Qazwani shine as the standout performer.
The Future Falcons came out of the blocks at full throttle, with Ali Qazwani opening the scoring in the third minute after a brilliant run from midfield saw him break away and calmly slot the ball past goalkeeper Varicka. Following the goal, Slavia Praha put pressure on the Falcons in an attempt to grab a quick equaliser, launching numerous attacks and coming close to the goal on multiple occasions.
Despite this, the Saudi defense held firm, and the team even managed to extend their lead in the 30th minute, with a superb header from Ali Qazwani that beat Varicka. Qazwani soon popped up again to go close to securing his hat trick after a dazzling run, but his shot was blocked by the defense. In the first minute of added time in the first half, Qazwani got his wish and scored a third goal after breaking free and evading goalkeeper Varicka. However, just before the halftime whistle, Slavia Praha reduced the deficit to 3-1 with a well-placed shot from Susek.
At the start of the second half, Slavia Praha pulled another goal back with a goal from substitute Prochazka following a well-worked team move. The Czech team continued their fightback when Zadarozhny executed some excellent individual play, curling in a powerful shot that beat goalkeeper Al-Shammari, leveling the score at 3-3.
In the 68th minute the match would take another twist, Ali Qazwani once again stole the show, capitalising on a defensive mistake, stealing the ball and racing clear to score his fourth and his team’s fourth goal. This time, Slavia Praha could not find another way back into the match, thanks to the resolute defending of Future Falcons, who held on for a crucial victory in Group B after a rollercoaster of a match.
