JEDDAH, 2 December 2004 — Excited Ittihad fans went about town blowing their car horns and waving flags in celebration of their team’s grand victory in the second leg of Asian Champions League final played in Seoul yesterday. Their 5-0 win over Korea’s Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma, who had won the first leg of the final 3-1 in Jeddah, shocked the huge local fan following. “It’s unbelievable the way the Saudis played. Only a team of the class of Ittihad could turn the tide against the Koreans,” an avid fan remarked.
Ittihad fans filled the streets, especially in and around the Sahafa district and Corniche shouting praise for their team. This was the second time that Ittihad won the championship in its history.
After the disappointing home game last week, which ended 3-1 in favor of the Koreans, Ittihad fans showed their disgust toward their players by throwing rocks and empty bottles at the bus that transported them after the match. Their Croatian coach was fired following an all-round demand. Now, the scene has changed in favor of the same players and they will be greeted with flowers today.
Sami Hassan, an Ittihad fan, said, “The tigers have shown their teeth in Korea. This huge win is the greatest present for not only Ittihad fans but also for the entire football fan following, because this win has brought honors to the Kingdom. We represented Saudi Arabia abroad and succeeded in our mission. One lesson the players have learned is never to be overconfident. It was their overconfidence that resulted in their defeat in the first leg in Jeddah before home crowd. It was a pleasure seeing Ittihad players playing once again with team spirit, understanding and excellent passing skills. They put their heart into the game.”
Hassan Yousif, another Ittihad fan, said, “The win is a strong message to everyone who believed Ittihad could never win in Korea. What happened to the Ittihad players in the presence of home crowd in Jeddah then has happened to the Koreans now. The Koreans were overconfident in front of home crowd and paid the price. Our team completed the mission in Korea and we are back with the trophy. It was a good decision that we replaced Croatian coach Tomislav Ivic. Otherwise, we would have faced another disaster.”
Abu Saeed, an Ahli fan, said, “The trophy is a significant recognition of the Saudi prowess in football at the international level. I congratulate Ittihad team, fans, and administration for the win. This huge win is a good message to those who said that the days of Saudi teams are over. Ittihad have managed to eliminate the Koreans in Korea. In fact, all Saudi teams should celebrate the Saudi achievement. I consider this win as a win for Ahli, Hilal, Nasr, Shabab and all other Saudi teams. To be honest, I doubted that Ittihad would win in Korea considering their demoralization after losing the game in Jeddah. Ittihad has given a fitting reply to all such doubting people.”
In the meantime, Saudi Red Crescent and Police took full precaution to see that nothing untoward happened during the celebration.
