JEDDAH, 9 May — Local favorites Al-Ittihad will be hoping to complete a cup double when they take on Riyadh club Al-Nasr in the final of the King Fahd Cup. The match to be held at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium here today will be a hotly-contested event with the two clubs putting on a stirring display as has been the case whenever the two have met in big matchups.
This will be the fifth final between the two clubs. And on past record the two have shared the honors.
Ittihad and Nasr came face to face in the final of King’s Cup in 1967, which Ittihad won 5-3. After a gap of 19 years, they again contested the final of King’s Cup in 1986. This time Nasr got the better of Ittihad in a tight match, winning 1-0. In 1991, the two met in the Crown Prince Cup final, which saw the clubs turn in a sterling battle which remained stalemated in regulation time. Following the resultant penalties, Ittihad won 5-3. Nasr then avenged their defeat in the final of Saudi Football Association in 1998, beating Ittihad 2-1.
And in the fifth meeting of the two premier teams, Ittihad hold the slight edge, especially with the home factor weighing in for them. Also in their ranks are elite players from the national team. Hamza Idrees is the best scorer in the history of King’s Cup and teammate Ahmad Bahja of Morocco, with 25 goals to his account, could prove a veritable thorn to Nasr’s defense.
Add to that another eight national players in the side, the all-round strength of the team could in the end prove decisive.
Brazilian coach Jose Oscar has succeeded in molding the team into a cohesive combination and will be hoping for another winning performance.
Nasr last appeared in the King’s Cup final in 1995 in which they defeated Hilal 3-1. This year they too hold out the hope of taking the prestigious cup with six national players in their ranks. Nasr will be playing in the fourth final of the year after making it to the finals of Prince Faisal Cup, Arabic Tournament and the Elite Cup in Syria. They have lost in all the three finals, but will be looking for a better end to their sequence of finals.
Portuguese coach Joerg Arthur will be employing the European mode of play, accent on midfield with sudden spurts of attacks from the flanks, to unsettle the Ittihad defense. And this contrast of style and talent is likely to provide a great final.
Nasr entered the final after beating Hilal 2-0 on aggregate in the semifinal. Ittihad beat archrivals Al-Ahli 4-2 on aggregate in their semifinal.
The following are the King Fahd Cup final results:
1991 Shabab-Nasr 1-0; 1992 Shabab beat Ittifaq 5-4 on penalty kicks; 1993 Shabab-Hilal 5-3; 1994 Nasr-Riyadh 1-0; 1995 Nasr-Hilal 3-1; 1996 Hilal-Ahli 2-1; 1997 Ittihad-Hilal 2-0; 1998 Hilal-Shabab 3-2; 1999 Ittihad-Ahli 1-0; 2000 Ittihad-Ahli 2-1.
