At dawn on Saturday, the final stage of the King of Saudi Arabia, Ainas and Hilal started a fierce battle, the final ended in a 1-1 draw, Ainas, although assisted by Crown's play, but lost in the penalty shootout, the league runner-up position is once again a pity. It's been a year and a half since Cron joined Ainas, but the glory of the championship has never come his way. Meanwhile, former Fulham scorer Mizuno Mizunovi joined the team, allowing Hilal to achieve the "Triple Crown" of League, Super Cup and King's Cup this season.
Just six minutes into the match, Ainas had a valuable scoring opportunity, but Shadi Owaini's one-touch raid was a lost cause. Hilal's luck was evident as they escaped with a goal. Almost at the same time, Mizunovic's clever shot broke the deadlock. Ainas then launched a fierce counter-attack, but Crown was unlucky as a shot from inside the box was deflected by goalkeeper Yessini. The Portuguese star's ensuing reverse stick shot was ruled out for offside.
The changeover saw Ainas suffer another blow. A handball by the Ospin goalkeeper was red-carded by the referee. In the 87th minute, Hilal midfielder Ebrahim was also sent off. Ainas seized the opportunity to equalize with midfielder Emanyeye, while another Hilal midfielder, Golibani, also received a red card and left the field.
In overtime, Ainas failed to break through again. In the end, the two sides had to go to penalties to decide the winner. Rubin Neves and Alexis Dinis lost in the first round, while Ainas missed a series of good chances in the "sudden death" phase, and Hilal won 5-4.
The battle came to an end and Cron, disappointed, returned to the bench in tears. For the second consecutive season since joining Ainas, he finished second in the league. Although the 39-year-old Mizunoi had been instrumental in the team's success, the loss of the AFC Champions League campaign put the title of "Arab Champions" on the back burner. The match was considered a warm-up match by the FIFA, but after moving to the Middle East, Ainas has yet to be crowned champions.
