JEDDAH, 19 April 2003 — Al-Ittihad defeated Al-Shola 2-0 to clinch the top spot in the King Fahd Cup Soccer Tournament yesterday. The teams played out a scoreless first half. But Ittihad refound their touch in the second session to seal victory in style.
Imports Abu Bakr Cammara and Marelieu were on target for Ittihad and that was enough to leave the Jeddah club sitting pretty in the step ladder final. Ittihad now has 49 points, and with just two weeks of play remaining, the chasers Al-Ahli, Al-Nasr and Al-Qadisiya cannot catch them or dislodge them from the pinnacle.
But Ittihad and second-placed Ahli meet next Wednesday in what could be a crucial tie for the other Jeddah team. Ahli needs to win the match to pull away from Nasr and Qadisiya in order to stay second.
In that event, Nasr and Qadisiya, who both have nearly secured their third and fourth berths, would comprise the other two teams in the group of four that is to contest the step-ladder final. The third and fourth qualifiers play first and the winner then takes on the second placed team. The winner of this second match will then challenge Ittihad for the title.
Nasr too has a difficult engagement in the final runup, meeting Hilal on Thursday, and any faltering on their part would ease the pressure on Ahli.
