JEDDAH, 23 October 2005 — Home favorites Al-Ittihad lived up to their reputation as they defeated visiting Al-Kuwaiti of Kuwait 1-0 in the first round of the Arab Champions League on Friday.
At Jeddah’s Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium, Ittihad, took full advantage of playing in front of their fans and outfought Al-Kuwaiti in a tight contest.
After a tied first leg in Kuwait, both teams had to win to advance.
Ittihad, involved in many international matches, had players who were more experienced and confident than their rivals, and this proved decisive.
Ittihad started the game aggressively as each player tried to create opportunities. The visitors were more defensive, and were out of shape. This affected them as the match wore on.
Al-Kuwaiti tried to keep possession with passing boots in the defense area. The plan was to keep the ball away from Ittihad players.
Ittihad however, intensified the pressure and in a swift move national striker Hamza Idris scored in the 2nd minute of the first extra time. The solitary goal proved a match-winner.
Idris, who was free in the penalty box, got the ball after the goalkeeper had made a weak clearance, wasted no time in putting it back into the opponent’s net.
Ittihad, who qualified for the second round, will now play their second match against Al-Wedad of Morocco on Nov. 8 in Jeddah and their away match in Morocco on Nov. 16.
Ittihad will round off the first round against Al-Ain of UAE on Wednesday.
