JEDDAH, 25 May 2007 — Brave Al-Wehda displayed the vintage form that had made them a fearsome side in the sixties and the early seventies when they twice pulled back Al-Ittihad from running away with the King’s Cup stepladder match of the Saudi Premier Soccer League.

But for all their efforts, in a pulsating encounter between the second and third teams seeking to gain a shot at the top side Al-Hilal and the Cup, Wehda’s day ended in a heartbreak. They lost 3-2 in extra time after a 2-2 regulation result at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium here yesterday.

The capacity crowd were treated to some brilliant football and some striking goals, but Ittihad’s enduring abilities and temperament for the big match saw them enter the third final of the season. Earlier, they had lost to Al-Ahli first in the Prince Faisal ibn Fahd Cup and then lost another nail-biter in the Crown Prince Cup final.

The stadium was a veritable riot of colors with the Tigers’ yellow and black stripes melding with Wehda’s red and white colors. The atmosphere though electric was friendly as the rival fans cheered on both the sides for their teams as well as the opposition when play warranted it. It also matched the easy atmosphere on the field, as the tension of a Jeddah derby (Ittihad-Ahli) was missing, with the teams playing a keen yet clean match.

The match started slowly with the rival teams taking their time to sting out the moves. The protracted midfield battle saw some quicksilver raids on either ends. But the rival defense stood out.

An opportune move by Reda Tukar in the 24th minute signaled the first strike and also the moment from where the tempo of the play picking up. A long ball from the Ittihad half found an unmarked Abdullah Waked on the right. With the Wehda defense falling back, Waked’s floater cleared the defensive wall. At that moment, Tukar broke free from the offside trap and met the ball neatly, just seconds before the onrushing Assaf Al-Qarni’s stretched fists, and directed it home.

Wehda turned on the heat immediately and their sustained pressure paid off four minutes later. But the penalty award against Ittihad was a bit harsh. Defender Saleh Al-Sagri challenged Nasser Al-Shamrani on the top of the box and the latter dove into the box following Sagri’s robust tackle. Ala Al-Quwaiqibi stepped up to the spot and sent a low grounder into the net.

The teams switched ends level at 1-1 and Ittihad went ahead in the very first minute. Hassan Keta punished a defensive lapse by pouncing on a back pass to the keeper by Wehda defender Sulaiman Amido before slotting home.

Ittihad looked the better side in the second enjoying the major share of possession in this session. They could have ended the match early if they had not wasted two gilt-edged chances to score during this period of domination.

Wehda’s never-say-die attitude, despite being down and not having midfield control, was once again evident as it has been during the season. With three minutes remaining for the final whistle Wehda produced the magic again. A series of short passes by the Wehda forwards saw them draw rings round the Ittihad defenders. With the defense in disarray and players out of position the final pass left Eisa Al-Mohaiyani with only goalkeeper Tayseer Nutaif, who had a good game beneath the bar, at his mercy.

The resultant strike deflated Ittihad and energized Wehda, who were hoping to make the finals after 41 years, as the teams went into the extra sessions.

Keta then applied the finishing touches to a great game in the 26th minute of the extra time with a splendid on-the-run shot after being put through by a defense-splitting pass by Ibrahim Al-Suweid.

Though Wehda bravely tried to keep themselves in the run with some desperate efforts in the final moments, the loss of two players in this extra period hampered their fightback.