JEDDAH, 24 October 2007 — Al-Hilal managed to snatch a point away from host Al-Ittifaq in the first leg of their Gulf Club Championship semifinal series after they drew 1-1 last night at Prince Mohammed ibn Fahd Stadium in Dammam.
Hilal started the game strong in search of a quick goal that would put the pressure on the home team.
In the 6th minute Hilal struck through forward Yasser Al-Qahtani who directed the ball to the right-hand side of the goalie into the net. Yasser Al-Kasser as he is called by his fans took advantage of a smart assist from Libyan national Tariq Al-Taeb in front of goal.
Minutes later Ittifaq forward Saleh Basheer came close to scoring the equalizer but his strong shot hit the right post. Playing at home, Ittifaq enjoyed the support of fans that made up 70 percent of those who watched the match live at the stadium. The remaining 30 percent were Hilali fans.
The Dammam team picked up pace after the Yasser strike in search of an equalizer.
Ittifaqi forwards Prince Togo and Saleh Basheer’s attempts fell short in the face of a strong Hilal defense led by Brazilian national Tafarez. In the 33rd minute, Prince Togo was brought down in the box by Hilal’s defender Fahd Al-Mufarig but the referee did not make the penalty call.
Slow replay showed that Mufarig’s foot struck Togo’s without touching the ball.
Most of the first half was confined in the middle of the field with an advantage in ball position for the home team. The referee gave three seconds extra time before he blew his whistle ending the first half 1-0 in favor of Hilal.
The second half started strong with no substitutions made by any of the team’s managers. Ittifaq started the first half attacking in a bid to equalize. Prince Togo came close to scoring an equalizer when Hilal’s goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Daie fumbled his power shot in the 50th minute. Togo attempted a second shot on the rebound but was beaten to the ball by Hilali defender Fahd Al-Mufarig, who cleared the ball out of harm’s way.
Ittifaq saved face in front of their home crowd in the 64th minute through forward Salman Al-Hadidi who booted in the equalizer to increase the intensity of the match.
In the 81st minute, Ittifaq were denied another penalty shot when the ball hit Hilal’s Brazilian defender’s hand.
The referee awarded Al-Hilal a free kick in the fourth and last minute of extra time when forward Ahmad Al-Suwaleh was brought down in front of the box. Substitute Nawaf Al-Timyat’s curving free kick hit the top corner post.
In the other semifinal match, Saleh Abdullah scored the only goal as Jazirah of UAE defeated Al-Nasr 1-0 at home.
