JEDDAH, 30 November 2004 — Al-Ittihad of Jeddah will face Korea’s Soengnam Ilhwa Chunma in the second leg of the final of the AFC Champions League in Seoul tomorrow. The match will start at around 1 p.m. Saudi Arabia time. Ittihad lost 3-1 in the first leg of the final held in Jeddah last week.

Ittihad are already in Seoul, where they are training hard for this crunch match.

The match is a do-or-die tie for Ittihad, who fired their Croatian coach Tomislav Ivic after the disappointing loss to the Koreans in the first leg.

Ittihad hope for a win in the final, despite seeming to be mission impossible, rests on the fact that they need to record a 3-0 margin of victory.

Their new coach, former Al-Ahli player and coach Amin Daboo, takes over at a time when Ittihad face challenging odds. Daboo could also be without the services of Brazilian midfielder Chico and Khamis Al-Zahrani, both injured in the previous match against the Koreans, as they are doubtful starters.

Against this background, Daboo and Ittihad will have the work cut out for them.

Ittihad, considered one of the best teams in the Kingdom, disappointed their fans in the home match and many of their fans, despite being hopeful, claim that a victory in the final is a distant dream. Ittihad, after some fine displays in the earlier rounds, seem to founder at the later stages recently.

“Ittihad were overconfident in the first leg final, and they paid the price. There seems to be some hope after the Croatian coach was fired. However, a miracle alone can save Ittihad from defeat,” Mesfer Al-Saleh, a long-time Ittihad fan said.

“The Koreans are very strong. However, we still have a chance if our team concentrates and score early. Our determination should be to defeat Korea on their soil,” said Saleh.

“Losing against the Koreans was a bitter pill to swallow, but it happens to any team,” said an optimistic Mustapha Al-Zahrani. “Ittihad have many titles to its credit, I’m still hopeful of my team’s 3-0 win against the Koreans,” he said.

“We miscalculated in our previous match, as the former coach (Ivic) failed to exploit Ittihad’s potential. Ittihad’s strength as a team will be decided on Wednesday. Ittihad should aim to win and play an attacking game from the beginning. If they combine together and control the midfield against the resurgent Koreans, they can hope to restore their lost pride,” he added.

Ittihad Suffer Another Loss

Meanwhile, Ittihad club suffered another defeat against Al-Riyadh, losing 0-3, in the Under-23 Soccer event for Prince Faisal ibn Fahd Cup at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium here.

The first goal was scored in the 18th minute by Faisal Al-Marzouki following a defensive lapse by Ahmad Ramis. In the 42nd minute, Sami Al-Ahmadi scored the second goal for Riyadh and the third goal came in the 52nd minute through Yahya Ali Fakihi. Riyadh go to top of Group B with four points, followed by Al-Nasr with 1 point and Ittihad with no points.

At Prince Faisal ibn Fahd Stadium in Riyadh, Al-Hilal scored an important win against Al-Ansar of Madinah 5-1. Hilal will go top of Group D with 3 points, followed by Al-Wahda with 3 points but second on goal difference and Al-Ansar last with no points.