Marino Bosic tests Al-Ahly's character in the King's Cup and the 32-round competition continues

The Al-Anwar confrontation was not just a match from which Marino Pusic was waiting for a ticket to the round of 16 of the King’s Cup, as it represented the first real opportunity for the Dutch coach to discover his team in conditions not provided by training; An opponent persists, a goal is delayed, pressure increases, and an elimination match gives no opportunity for compensation.

Al-Ahly left Hotat Bani Tamim with a 2-1 victory, after Eduard Spretsyan opened the scoring in the 61st minute, and Henderson Galino added the second goal in the 89th minute, before Al-Anwar reduced the difference in stoppage time, but the result was not the only thing that Pusic got out of his second official match.

A coach who took over a team that had been prepared for the most part before his arrival does not have the luxury of time, and thus the first matches turned into a space for discovering the players and testing their ability to implement his ideas under pressure.

From the beginning, it was clear that Pusic wanted to reach Al-Anwar's goal in a specific way. Greater speed in transferring the ball, continuous movement in spaces, avoiding possession that does not lead to danger, and increasing options in the final third.

Al-Ahly provided much of what its coach requested in terms of access and creating opportunities, but at the same time it revealed the problem that stopped Pusic the most: How do you decide the match when it is within your reach?

The result remaining negative until the 61st minute put the team before a psychological and technical test. Al-Ahly attacks, Al-Anwar stands, and the minutes pass, and here Pusic got answers that were perhaps more important to him than a comfortable victory that comes early.

See who can keep calm when the goal is late, who keeps asking for the ball, and how the team behaves when the result does not reward its advantage. These are details that will help him form a clearer picture of the personalities of his players.

On the line, Pusic did not stop directing. His emotion was mostly related to a player's position, a ball decision, an incomplete move, or a reaction after losing the ball. Even after Al-Ahly advanced, its demands did not back down, indicating that the result does not exempt the players from implementing what they want.

After the match, the coach confirmed that his team reached the final third and created certain chances, but did not invest them properly. Here lies the most important observation he made from the confrontation: For him, creating opportunities does not represent a complete success if the opponent remains in the match until its final minutes. Even Al-Anwar's goal in stoppage time provided the coach with additional material. After Galeino scored the second goal in the 89th minute, the confrontation should have been practically over, but conceding a late goal gave Pusic a direct example of the importance of maintaining concentration until the end.

The importance of these details increases because the Dutchman works in different conditions than a coach who begins the season after a full camp. He arrived after the bulk of the preparations had been completed, and therefore he does not seem willing to demolish what came before and rebuild, but rather to find out what works from the previous legacy, and then gradually introduce his ideas.

The victory over Al-Diriyah in his first official appearance, then passing Al-Anwar, gives him a quiet start in terms of results, and also gives the players an opportunity to prove themselves at a stage where the coach’s options are still open.

Pusic is still discovering the best employment for his personnel, who can respond to his demands, and who can be relied upon when the matches become more complex.

This is why the Al-Anwar confrontation may have been more beneficial for Al-Ahly if it ended difficult than if the team decided it early. Because it put his players and their new coach in real situations, and revealed to him what he needed to work on.

Al-Ahly returned from Hotat Bani Tamim with the qualification card, while Pusic returned with something he needed more at this stage: a clearer picture of his team when his personality is put to the test.

The curtain falls on Wednesday evening on the King's Cup competitions, as 3 matches will be held within the round of 32, with the draw for the round of 16 taking place on Thursday evening, directly for the clubs that have reserved their seats.

Damac will meet its counterpart, Al-Taawoun, at Damak Club Stadium in Khamis Mushait, while Jeddah will receive its guest, Al-Koloud, at the Club Stadium in Jeddah. The matches will conclude with a confrontation between Al-Ula and its counterpart, Al-Fateh, at the Prince Muhammad bin Abdulaziz Sports City Stadium in Medina.

Damak, which was relegated to the First Division League last season, is seeking to register a different presence, and is looking for an ideal start that will give it a morale boost in the Cup Championship before launching its journey in the Saudi First Division League.

The match against Al-Taawoun is the first for the Damak team this season, as its journey in the Saudi First Division League will begin next week. Damak had an early exit from the tournament last season in the round of 32, and is looking forward to overcoming and avoiding a repeat of the early exit scenario, but it clashes with its counterpart Al-Taawoun, one of the teams nominated to compete this season.

Al-Taawoun, which previously achieved the cup championship with an unprecedented historical achievement a few years ago, aspires to record an ideal start in the tournament. Al-Taawoun is looking forward to avoiding its exit last season, in the round of 16.

Al-Taawoun began its journey this season with a goalless draw against Al-Khaleej in the first round of the Saudi Professional League. However, Sukari Al-Qassim possesses many of the technical tools that enable it to surpass Damak and complete its journey. However, surprises are always present in cup tournaments that are held in a knockout system.

In Medina, Al-Ula receives its counterpart, Al-Fateh, in a confrontation that appears exciting in light of the capabilities and preparations made by Al-Ula, despite its presence in the First Division League. However, the team is considered one of the most prominent teams for promotion, after it was close last season, reaching the playoff final and losing it to Al-Diriyah.

Al-Ula realizes the importance of the tournament and that it is held in a knockout system and that there is an opportunity to move forward in the tournament, especially since it will face Al-Fateh, which appears to be close in its technical roster.

Al-Fateh, in turn, went on in the last edition until it reached the quarter-finals, and certainly the “model” team is trying hard to make greater strides in the tournament, although its mission outside its homeland seems complicated in front of Al-Ula, which includes in its ranks many well-known names such as the Brazilian Michael Delgado, who previously had a distinguished professional experience with Al-Hilal, in addition to Guanca, and striker Sela Su, the top scorer in the first division last season.

In the city of Jeddah, the owner of the land, the Jeddah team, receives its immortal counterpart, the team that wrote history last season when it reached the cup final and lost to Al Hilal after presenting an epic journey that raised the ceiling of the team’s ambitions to touch gold and write an unprecedented achievement.

Al-Khuloud started its current season with an exciting draw against Al-Ittihad 1-1 in the Saudi Professional League, and recorded an away start that seems ideal, as it looks forward this evening to surpassing the Jeddah team and beginning a progressive journey in the cup in the hope of repeating what happened last season.