Mourad Batna strikes as Al Fateh advance to King’s Cup quarterfinals

Mourad Batna came off the bench to score his first goal of the 2025-26 season as Al Fateh advanced to the quarterfinals of Saudi Arabia’s King’s Cup on Monday.

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بعد دخوله بدقائق؛ مراد باتنا من ركلة حُرة يُسجل أول أهداف الفتح 🔥#الفتح_الرياض | #أغلى_الكؤوس pic.twitter.com/jQYoOTQ8Zr

— رياضة ثمانية (@thmanyahsports) October 27, 2025

The Moroccan needed less than five minutes to strike a precise free kick, giving Fateh the lead in the 63rd minute against visiting Al Riyadh in an eventual 2-0 victory. The Saudi Pro League side clinched qualification to the quarterfinals of the nation’s top domestic cup competition with the result.

Al Fateh, who endured a relegation battle in the Saudi top flight last season, are showing signs of recovery after a difficult start to this season. Batna provided an assist on Friday in Fateh’s 2-1 victory over Al Ettifaq, their first league win of the season to give them four points from six games.

Along with Algerian attacker Sofiane Bendebka, Batna was instrumental to Fateh’s escape from relegation with a strong second half of the 2024-25 season. The two North Africans combined for over half of the club’s goals in league play.

The Eastern Province club returns to action on Thursday with a league match at Damac Club. Fateh is currently 15th on the league table in the 18-team league. In the King’s Cup, they are joined by Al Khaleej and Al Kholood as the teams who have secured their place in the quarterfinals.