JEDDAH, 19 May 2004 — Al-Ittihad advanced to the next stage of the AFC Champions League after beating Neftchi of Uzbekistan 3-0 here at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium.
Ittihad went ahead in the 29th minute through Muhammad Nur, who blasted a nice shot to the left hand side of the goalie. Ittihad, needing to win to advance struck the second through Marzooq Al-Otaibi in the 65th minute and added an insurance goal in the 76th minute again through Al-Otaibi. Ittihad went to the top of Group D with 13 points and were followed by Spahan of Iran with 13 points. in second place on goal difference, Al-Arabi of Kuwait in third place with 5 points and Neftchi of Uzbekistan in last place with no points.
Earlier in Sharjah, Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia failed to advance to the next level after losing 5-2 against Sharjah of UAE. Sharjah took the lead in the 13th minute through Saeed Al-Kass.
Hilal equalized in the 18th through Sami Al-Jaber and got their second in the 38th minute through Abdullah Al-Shareedah. In the second half, Sharjah were more organized and controlled most of the match and got the equalizer in the 48th minute through Anderson. Nawaf Al-Mubarak (53rd), Abdul Aziz Muhammad (70th) and Anderson again in injury time rounded off the tally. Sharjah topped Group C with 10 points, Hilal finished second with 7 points.
Crystal Palace Reach Playoff Final 5-4 on Penalties
In London, Crystal Palace moved within one game of a return to the top flight when they reached the first division playoff final with a 5-4 win on penalties at Sunderland who had won 2-1 on the night to level the game 4-4 on aggregate, agencies add.
Midfielder Michael Hughes was the toast of south London as he coolly struck the winning penalty to take Iain Dowie’s team through to the final against either West Ham United or Ipswich Town at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on May 29.
Palace were last in the Premier League six years ago and Dowie was delighted at the chance to take them back among the elite after guiding them to an unlikely place in the playoffs with a late surge up the table after taking over in mid-season. Sunderland six points ahead of sixth-placed Palace, had strikers Kevin Kyle and Marcus Stewart to thank for a 2-0 half-time lead they scarcely deserved. Jason McAteer had a hand in both goals as he centered for Kyle to chest the ball down and rifle a shot beneath Palace keeper Nico Vaesen after 42 minutes and then delivered another cross from the right for Stewart to head home before the break. Julian Gray was sent off in the 85th minute after a scything tackle on McAteer earned him a second booking and Palace seemed to be heading to defeat until Darren Powell popped up deep into injury time to bring them level at 4-4 on aggregate.
Blatter Honored by Chirac
In Paris, FIFA President Sepp Blatter has been named a Knight of the French Legion of Honor by the President Jacques Chirac, soccer’s governing body said yesterday.
Chirac bestowed the title upon Blatter at a ceremony held in the Elysee Palace in Paris.
Napoleon Bonaparte created the French Legion of Honor in 1802 to reward military achievements or other forms of extraordinary service to the State.
