JEDDAH, 27 January 2004 — League leaders Al-Ittihad sustained their winning stride in the King Fahd Cup League in Dammam yesterday with a 3-0 victory over Al-Ittifaq. Ittihad led by a goal at the break.
Ittihad had run up the numbers prior to a brief break in the league. And they seemed to have picked up from where they had left off in the league with wins after the break. Once again Ittihad displayed complete dominance after some early tussle for supremacy. But as the match wore on Ittifaq’s defense too were worn down.
Ittihad struck in the eighth minute through Manaf Abu Shegair, who broke through a disarrayed Ittifaqi defense following a poor clearance.
Ittifaq had a clear chance in the 32nd minute to draw level when a poor defensive back pass nearly led to a goal. Yusri Al-Basha was left alone with the ball, but he made a hash of things by shooting out. He again wasted a golden chance in the 34th minute by shooting awry with the Ittihad citadel at his mercy.
Ittihad started the second session with a miss in the 46th when Chico blasted the ball wide. But he made amends in the 47th when he floated a corner kick to Vieri, who struck true.
In the 56th minute Ittifaq were reduced to ten men when Ibrahim Al-Manja was sent off following a robust tackle on Saud Kariri.
Ittihad took advantage of the numerical edge and attacked Ittifaq in droves. And in the 88th minute they secured their third goal when Gentile’s free kick floated into Ittifaq’s goal.
