JEDDAH, 14 December 2005 — Al-Ittihad are ready to take on the tough challenge in the semifinal of the World Club Championships in Tokyo today when they meet Sao Paulo in an eagerly-awaited clash, a matchup of the top clubs from Asia and South America.

Ittihad, brimming with confidence after upsetting African champions Al Ahly of Egypt in the opener, is hoping to continue their run of upsets against the strong Brazilian side.

Sao Paulo, the champions of Brazil, have twice won the previous version of the club championship, the Intercontinental Cup by beating Barcelona in 1992 and AC Milan in 1993.

Ittihad, two times Asian champions, however are not fazed by Sao Paulo’s record and hope to do well in the semis. Despite Al Ahly’s gamesmanship Ittihad ended Ahly’s 18-month winning streak.

Ahly, remained undefeated for 55 games, before suffering their first loss in the hard-fought match that ended 1-0 — the goal scored by captain Muhammad — in Ittihad’s favor.

Ittihad, who are without their Brazilian trio Pedrinho, Marcao and Lima, following late registration by the club, are also without their main striker Job, who will not play in today’s match.

Job received a red card in the final match of the AFC Champions League against Al-Ain of UAE, and is at present serving a two-match suspension. He will, however, be available for the final if Ittihad won.

Ittihad also placed Chico and Falatah under medical supervision as both sustained injuries in the opening match.

Spurs Ruin Redknapp’s Portsmouth Return

In London, Tottenham Hotspur scored twice in the last five minutes to send Portsmouth to a 3-1 defeat in the Premier League on Monday in Harry Redknapp’s first match back in charge as manager of the south coast club. Agencies add.

An 85th minute penalty from Egypt striker Mido and a superb solo effort from Jermain Defoe in the last minute sealed the points for Spurs, who stayed fourth in the standings on 30 points after their third straight win.

Chelsea are top with 43 points, followed by Liverpool on 31 and Manchester United, also on 31. Portsmouth took a shock lead when Democratic Republic of Congo striker Lomana LuaLua cracked a blistering 25-meter shot past keeper Paul Robinson in the 24th minute, his first goal since September after recovering from a bout of malaria. Spurs, who dominated for long periods, equalized after 57 minutes when Ledley King headed home a Michael Carrick corner.

It looked as though the points would be shared until Gary O’Neil handled substitute Andy Reid’s free kick and Mido fired home from the penalty spot. Redknapp, who returned to Fratton Park last week after a year with their archrivals Southampton, knows he faces a tough relegation battle after Portsmouth lost for the fifth successive match. They remain second bottom with only Sunderland below.

Olympiakos Reclaim Top Spot With 4-0 Win Over Larissa

In Athens, Olympiakos Piraeus reclaimed top spot in the Greek first division when they overwhelmed Larissa 4-0 at the Karaiskakis Stadium on Monday.

Two goals in the first half from Cyprus striker Yiannis Okkas set them up for a comfortable win and two more goals in the second half from Predrag Djordjevic and substitute Haruna Babangida completed the victory.

After 13 rounds, Olympiakos now top the table with 33 points, one more than AEK Athens. Panathinaikos, whose coach Alberto Malesani has come under criticism for his team’s poor form, are level on 24 points with Xanthi but take third place because they beat the northern team 2-1 in round 11.

Compensation Cases Could Harm Soccer, Says Olsson

In Brussels, legal battles being waged between FIFA and two clubs over compensation for injuries threaten to harm international football, the head of Europe’s governing body for the sport said yesterday.

Lars-Christer Olsson, UEFA’s chief executive, said a victory by the clubs could have as wide an impact on international football as the Bosman ruling, which revolutionized the transfer system.

“If these two cases are decided in court it will have huge implications for the national associations,” he told a news conference held to mark the 10th anniversary of the Bosman ruling.

“Football at international level will certainly suffer.” Two clubs are taking FIFA to court seeking compensation for injuries suffered by their players on international duty.

Belgian first division club Charleroi had to do without Moroccan Abdelmajid Oulmers after he was injured in a friendly last year while French side Olympique Lyon’s defender Eric Abidal cracked a bone in his foot during France’s 3-2 friendly win over Costa Rica last month.

The clubs have been joined in their action by the G14, which represents 18 of Europe’s richest clubs.

Olsson called on the parties to reach an agreement out of court. The Bosman ruling comes from a case brought by Belgian player Jean-Marc Bosman against UEFA in which the European Court of Justice banned transfer fees for players out of contract and removed the limit on the number of foreign players clubs could field.