JEDDAH: Defending Saudi Professional League champion Al-Ittihad suffered its second consecutive 2-1 defeat this time against bottom club Al-Ittifaq in a pending match from the seventh round at Prince Muhammad bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam on Tuesday.
It was the first win this season for Ittifaq over the Jeddah-based title holder.
Muhammad Nur drew first blood in the 21st minute to end the first half 1-0 in favor of Ittihad.
Ittifaq turned the tables on Ittihad in the second half after Abdul Rahman Al-Qahtani converted a penalty kick in the 59th minute to tie the count at 1-1.
Hussein Al-Najaie blasted the second goal for Ittifaq in the 69th minute giving the team a 2-1 lead in the match.
Ittihad suffered a major blow when Saud Karir and Muhammad Nur were red carded in the 62nd and 95th minutes.
Ittihad players protested against officiating of the match, putting the blame on the referees for their defeat.
Next up for Ittihad is a potentially tricky round 10 match on Saturday against city rival Al-Ahli.
Ittihad will be without the trio of Karir, Nur and Reda Tukar for the match.
Ittihad remained in third position with 15 points with two matches in hand. Ittifaq is stuck at the bottom of the standings on five points with one pending match.
