FWZ win Kings League MENA Split 1: Maicol Hernández seals 5-4 final against Ultra Chmicha

FWZ are the Kings League MENA Split 1 champions. Fwaz’s side beat Ultra Chmicha 5-4 in the final on Friday 30 October at the Kings League Arena in Riyadh, with two goals in the 2nd minute and a Shootout and a President Penalty in the second half. Ultra Chmicha levelled at 4-4 in the 42nd minute and Maicol Hernández scored the Victory Goal a minute later.

FWZ finish the Split with 9 wins from 11 games. They topped the regular season at 7-2 with 60 goals, and beat Red Zone 8-5 in the Final Four semi-final. Ultra Chmicha came in after knocking out 3BS by the same score, thanks to a Marc Granero hat-trick.

FWZ survive Ultra Chmicha’s comeback

A flying start. David Loaiza and Igor Campos made it 2-0 in the 2nd minute and Ultra Chmicha took a while to respond: Marc Granero pulled one back in the 7th and Masi Dabo equalised at 2-2 in the 22nd, just after the break. Leonel Alderete restored FWZ’s lead with his Shootout in the 23rd and Fwaz scored his President Penalty in the 29th for 4-2.

Ilyas ElMaliki’s side fought back when the final looked done. Dani Liñares missed his Shootout and Sohaib Rektout missed a penalty for FWZ in the 32nd, Granero converted his Shootout in the 36th and Walid Jaadi made it 4-4 in the 42nd minute. Maicol Hernández, who had already scored twice in the semi-final, made it 5-4 in the 43rd with the Victory Goal. Igor Campos, who made it 2-0 in the 2nd minute, was named MVP of the final.

FWZ blow Red Zone away early

A wild start. FWZ led Red Zone 3-0 after three minutes, with two goals from Igor Campos and one from Fouad El Amrani, the match MVP. Maicol Hernández added two more, Fwaz and Ali Mousa both scored their President Penalty in the 16th minute and Red Zone played a man down from the 20th minute after Mohamed Amin’s red card.

Maherco’s side hung on with a double goal from Daniel Pérez plus strikes from Julen Álvarez and Gilles Vidal, who ends Split 1 with 14 goals. Leonel Alderete scored his Shootout and David Loaiza made it 8-5 in the 44th minute with the Victory Goal.

Granero fires Ultra Chmicha into the final

3BS went ahead through Souleymane Ouattara in the first minute and Moussa Sao converted a penalty in the 5th. From then on it was all Ultra Chmicha: Walid Jaadi and Masi Dabo scored twice each and Marc Granero hit a hat-trick, Victory Goal in the 40th minute included, to be named MVP of the semi-final.

Sao finished with 3 goals and Absi scored his President Penalty, while Dani Liñares, who had missed his Shootout, made it 7-5 from the spot in the 35th minute. Amine Kheche missed a penalty for 3BS in the 38th minute, their last chance to get back into it.

Marc Granero, Split 1 top scorer

Marc Granero ends Split 1 as the competition’s top scorer with 16 goals, level with Moussa Sao. The award goes to the Ultra Chmicha forward because he scored fewer penalties than the 3BS striker.

FWZ lost only two games in the whole of Split 1: against 3BS on Matchday 5 and against Ultra Chmicha on Matchday 9. In the final they got their revenge on Ilyas ElMaliki’s side and took the title.