JEDDAH, 26 March 2003 — Al-Ittihad left it till late to secure a semifinal berth in the Crown Prince Abdullah Cup Soccer Tournament with a 2-1 victory over Al-Riyadh at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium here.
They now meet Al-Hilal, who too struggled before finding the back of the Al-Shola’s net twice in the second session to seal a 2-0 verdict at the Prince Faisal ibn Fahd Stadium in Riyadh.
Riyadh stunned Ittihad with an attacking display and went into the lead in the 15th minute. But 17 minutes later, Ittihad restored parity with a Mohammed Nur’s headed goal, as the teams changed ends on level terms.
Then in the 85th minute a Mesfer Al-Qahtani’s center deflected off a Riyadh defender to give Ittihad victory. Ittihad and Hilal now meet on Saturday.
Cool Okocha’s Late Penalty
Gives Bolton Win
Jay Jay Okocha coolly converted an injury-time penalty to give Bolton Wanderers a 1-0 home win over Tottenham Hotspur and lift them out of the Premier League relegation zone on Monday.
Bolton were rewarded for their greater attacking enterprise and better chances when Spurs defender Gary Docherty brought down French midfielder Youri Djorkaeff and the Nigerian nervelessly steered the ball past Kasey Keller from the spot.
“I was very calm,” Okocha told Sky television afterwards. “I chose my angle and I tried to hit it hard and it went in.”
Bolton climbed two points above West Ham United, who now occupy the third relegation spot with seven games to pay. They have 32 points, West Ham 30 and the nearly-doomed West Bromwich Albion 21 and Sunderland 19. Spurs remained 10th.
“I believe that we’ll survive because today we showed a lot of character,” Okocha added. “I believe the team has a very good spirit and if we keep on playing like this, we will survive.”
In a fast and furious second half, Keller made several good saves, one brilliant one from substitute Pierre-Yves Andre, while Bolton’s Icelandic defender Gudni Bergsson — a former Spurs player — headed against a post. “We’ve performed like that but not got the results,” said Bolton manager Sam Allardyce.
Bereaved Robbie Keane
Unlikely to Join Irish Squad
In Dublin, Tottenham Hotspur striker Robbie Keane, who was due to join the Ireland squad yesterday, is almost certain to miss their Euro 2004 qualifier against Georgia at the weekend following the sudden death of his father.
A Football Association of Ireland spokesman said it was very unlikely Keane, whose father Robert died on Monday evening, would be available for Saturday’s Group 10 clash.
“It’s pretty safe to assume he won’t travel,” the spokesman told Reuters, adding there was also a question mark over Keane’s participation in Ireland’s April 2 qualifier against Albania.
New manager Brian Kerr, who was among the first to offer his sympathies to the Keane family, is also waiting on the fitness of Fulham’s Steve Finnan and Manchester United defender John O’Shea who both currently have injury problems.
Keane’s absence will be sorely felt by Kerr, who will be desperate to get his team’s qualification campaign back on track after failing to secure any points in the previous two matches.
Having already lost Sunderland’s Jason McAteer, Leeds United’s Gary Kelly and Clinton Morrison of Birmingham City, Kerr was banking on the Spurs trio of Keane, Stephen Carr and Gary Doherty — but particularly Keane.
