Kings League MENA: 3BS stun DR7 as Jordan and Morocco seal semi-final places

3BS and Red Zone secured historic semi-final places in the opening Kings League MENA split, while defending champions DR7 were eliminated in a dramatic quarter-final night at Riyadh’s Coal Arena.

The first-round knockout stage produced late goals, outstanding goalkeeping and several decisive missed chances, with Jordanian teams accounting for two of the three sides to progress. Moroccan club Ultra Chmicha also advanced, while FWZ had already qualified for the Final Four by finishing top of the table.

JMK saves 3BS after penalty drama

3BS, led by club president Absi, knocked out Saudi champions DR7, headed by Darbaha, after a thrilling contest ended 5-5 in normal time.

The Jordanian side then prevailed in the shootouts, with French goalkeeper JMK becoming the defining figure. Despite suffering an injury during the penalty contest, the goalkeeper stayed on the pitch and continued through the pain before making a series of saves, including the decisive stop that sent 3BS through.

DR7 had turned to their new co-president, Saudi national team star Khaled Al-Ghannam, to take the president’s penalty. He converted, but the attempt was not enough to keep the holders in the competition.

3BS will meet Ultra Chmicha in the semi-finals.

Red Zone complete Jordanian double

Red Zone, led by Maherko, joined their fellow Jordanians in the last four after beating Saudi side RA2, captained by Raed, 5-3.

The two teams had entered the match with identical records of five wins and four defeats. Red Zone took the lead through Jill Vidal, who later added the crucial winning goal during Matchball Mode.

RA2 were punished for missed opportunities, failing to convert two shootouts and a president’s penalty. Red Zone’s reward is a semi-final against FWZ, who booked their place directly by finishing first in the standings.

Granero hits four for Ultra Chmicha

Ultra Chmicha, led by Elias El Maliki, edged Egyptian team Turbo 7-6 in the night’s highest-scoring quarter-final.

Morocco forward Mark Granero produced a decisive performance, scoring in the sixth, 22nd and 35th minutes before adding his fourth goal in the dying stages. His earlier goals included a powerful long-range strike.

Co-president Yassine Boukessa also scored from the president’s penalty for Ultra Chmicha.

The match changed direction in the 17th minute when Turbo midfielder Youssef El-Nabrawy was sent off. Turbo captain Tarboun missed a president’s penalty and failed to take advantage of the Secret Card opportunity.

With Matchball Mode active and the score level at 6-6, Granero struck again to complete his four-goal haul and send Ultra Chmicha into the semi-finals.

The evening began with a Creators Match held in partnership with TikTok. Kings League MENA All-Stars beat the TikTok Stars, led by Hemex, 3-2. The TikTok team included Islam Bahnas, Mohamed Deen and Abdullah Al-Ayada, who scored a president’s penalty.

The All-Stars featured club presidents Fawaz of FWZ, Absi of 3BS, Ali Mousa “Abu Serwal” of Red Zone and Abdulrahman Al-Shahri. Yassine Boukessa scored twice to decide the exhibition match.

The season concludes on 30 October, when the semi-finals and final will determine the winner of the first Kings League MENA split.