JEDDAH, 12 January 2005 — A chink in the Al-Ittihad armor showed as the Jeddah-based club suffered a 3-2 defeat against Al-Ahli of Qatar yesterday in the Arab League Championship match in Doha.
A mere shadow of the full strength side that won the Asian Champions League in Korea last month after eight of their key players joined the national team training camp, Ittihad showed resiliency in matching up against Ahli.
Ittihad were in control for the most part, losing their grip only in the last 11 minutes when the home side scored the equalizer and the game winner.
With the win, Ahli move up to the top of Group B with 6 points. Ittihad, with an even 1-1 win-loss record, have three points.
Ittihad took a 2-1 lead when Brazilian international Sergio hit two successive goals that came nine minutes apart.
Sergio’s first goal in the 51st minute leveled the score at 1-1 after Buobaid Bodon drew first blood for Ahli in the 45th minute.
Goals by Mustapha Adam and Meshal Abdullah helped Ahli stop the determined but understrength Ittihad club.
Adam tied the score at 2-2, 10 minutes after Sergio slammed home his second goal in the 69th minute. Abdullah then stunned Ittihad when he found the time and space to boot in what proved the winning goal in the 82nd minute.
Ittihad’s next game will be on Jan. 25 against Ghazl Al-Mahalla of Egypt in Egypt.
In Riyadh, Hilal managed to secure the full three points against Al-Faisali of Jordan on Monday with a 2-1 victory at the Prince Faisal ibn Fahd stadium.
Hilal’s next game will be on Jan. 26 against Al-Esmaeili of Egypt in Egypt.
Al Ahli, the third Saudi side seeing action this week in Arab League Championship, play Al-Wedad of Morocco in a Group D match today in Casablanca.
Liverpool and Everton Scrap Plans to Share Stadium
AP adds: Liverpool and Everton have scrapped plans to share a new stadium.
Both clubs met with British Sports Minister Richard Caborn last year about sharing a new stadium near Liverpool’s Anfield ground. Liverpool’s Anfield is only a few miles (kms) from Everton’s Goodison Park.
Both venues were built in the 19th century.
Instead, Liverpool plans to build a 60,000-capacity stadium in nearby Stanley Park.
“The joint stadium proposal has been thoroughly examined over an extended period of time and has now been rejected,” Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry said yesterday.
“But as we have consistently pointed out, this is much more than just a new ground for Liverpool Football Club. It has always been about the regeneration of north Liverpool and the benefits it will bring to a local community that desperately needs them.”
Everton chief executive Keith Wyness said the club’s options were to redevelop Goodison Park or build a new stadium.
“If there is not to be a shared stadium it would be good to think that, in the future, the city of Liverpool would continue to a represent a major center for football excellence _ one which would boast two world-class facilities,” Wyness said.
Everton has been at Goodison Park since a dispute with Liverpool in 1892 over the cost of groundsharing at Anfield. Goodison Park seats 40,500 and Anfield 45,300.
