JEDDAH, 12 December 2005 — Asian giants Al-Ittihad proved with flair that they have deep bench strength when they overcame the loss of three Brazilians before the start of the match to end Egypt’s Al Ahly’s 18-month winning streak in the first match of the World Club Championships yesterday in Tokyo.

Ahly, who had dealt a psychological blow to Ittihad a day before the match by getting FIFA to rule favorably on their complaint on the three professionals Ittihad had hoped to field in the match, found their mind games being blown away by a resurgent Ittihad.

And when Ittihad defeated the Egyptian champions and put an end to their run of victories in 55 games, the goodly fans at their club in Al-Sahafa Street here erupted rapturously into cheers. A second-half goal from captain Muhammad Nur gave his side a 1-0 victory and a crack at South American champions Sao Paulo in the semifinals here on Wednesday.

The attacking midfielder made the most of an embarrassing fumble by Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El Hadary to slot the ball home in the 78th minute. It was all the more remarkable as the club from Jeddah went into the match without five first team players. Two were suspended and the other three were stopped from playing by FIFA on Saturday. Al Ahly had tipped off FIFA that the trio were not properly registered by the club and a subsequent investigation confirmed this.

Ittihad coach Anghel Iordanescu who ordered his team to show their character, did just that. “We are very happy and proud to have this victory,” said Iordanescu. “We didn’t play well in the first 45 minutes, we were scared of our opponents and we gave them too much respect.

“The reason we didn’t play well was because we couldn’t get over the psychological problem we had after FIFA told us our three players were out. My players were down mentally and getting them back up was my most important job. In the end we deserved to win.”

Al Ahly coach Manuel Jose blasted his side for failing to play their usual game. “We didn’t play our football. In the second half we played very bad. We didn’t deserve to win the match,” he said.

“Our winning streak had to end some time but it means our dream of going to the final is finished.”

Al-Ittihad deserved the victory after piling on the pressure in the second half following a lackluster first 45 minutes. After a hatful of chances they finally got the break when El Hadary failed to collect a cross from Ahmed Al Dosari.

Nur jumped on the mistake to dribble the ball into the net and spark ecstatic celebrations on the Ittihad bench. It was their fifth successive win over Ahly.

“It is not that we have a strong point or a vulnerable point, everybody just worked very well. We were able to control the game till the end,” said Nur, who was named man of the match.

With both teams more used to warmer weather, it took them time to find any rhythm and it was Al Ahly who had the better of the first half. They should have gone one up when Ahmed El Sayed shaved the post with a delicate chip from inside the box after five minutes.

They had another glorious chance to open their account after half an hour when Emad Motab’s thundering shot cannoned into goalkeeper Mabrouk Zaid’s legs, spinning away for a corner.

But they failed to capitalize on their chances and Al-Ittihad found more space as they stepped up the tempo in the second half, with the ever dangerous Mohammed Kallon and Nur always a threat.

The match was one sided by Ahly in the first half. Ahly team controlled the match and the midfield throughout the first half, with exception to two dangerous attempts by the Ittihad side. Ittihad fans here were just ecstatic. In one of the famous cafés, in front of the Red Sea, fans crowded to watch one of most important match, especially after Ahly’s complaint forced Ittihad to field a weaker team. The emotions were mixed, the fans, who were singing and arguing before the start of the match, watched in pin-drop silence the battle on television. But there was no stopping Ittihad fans when Nur struck and the celebrations continued well after the final whistle.

Flight engineer Ali Al-Khateeb said: “It was a tough match, and we played against the best team in Africa. Ahly with their unbeaten streak must have fancied their chances, but Ittihad snapped their record and won superbly. I am very happy and hope we’ll perform well in the next match, to make the final.”

Accountant Hussein Eid, who was crying with joy, said “Ittihad proved that, the team doesn’t depend on big names while displaying their vaunted teamwork and team spirit. When FIFA ruled out our Brazilians players, I was afraid that this would affect the team negatively but, the players who stepped up proved that they deserve to wear Ittihad colors.”

— Additional input from agencies