JEDDAH, 23 February 2005 — Al-Ittihad snatched a 1-1 draw with Ahli of Qatar and sustained their bid to finish top of Group B in the Arab Champions League soccer tournament.
A last-gasp penalty goal by Brazilian international Sergio saved Ittihad from a potentially embarrassing defeat before their adoring fans at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium here.
The draw enabled Ittihad to stay top of Group B with 10 points while Ahli on second with eight.
Al-Hilal, another Saudi team looking to extend their campaign into the quarterfinals, took a step in that direction with a 2-2 draw against Al-Faisali of Jordan in a Group C match in Jordan.
With a game in hand Hilal remained in second place in the group with eight points. Early qualifier Al-Esmaili of Egypt are first with 13 points.
Surprisingly, Ittihad were at the receiving end of the game controlled for the most part by Ahli who shot ahead at the end of the first half when Mustapha Adam barreled in a goal as Ahli defenders particularly Abdullah Al-Wakeed made serious mistake.
Ittihad pushed forward and missed many chances to score in the face of a well organized defense by the enemy.
Ittihad striker Sergio struggled all evening though he converted the penalty kick awarded when an Ahli defender deflected the ball with his hands inside the penalty box.
Hilal came back from two goals down after Faisali scored 39th minute and 79th minute through Khaled Saad and own goal by Al Barkan.
Hilal responded with a flurry of goals in the 81st minute when Camacho found the net and in the 86th minute when Khaled Aziz booted in a nice cross from Mori.
Chelsea’s Cudicini to Miss League Cup Final
In London, Chelsea have abandoned their attempt to free goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini to play in Sunday’s League Cup final against Liverpool, Reuters add.
Cudicini was red-carded in Chelsea’s 1-0 FA Cup fifth round defeat at Newcastle on Sunday for bringing down Shola Ameobi when the striker was clean through on goal.
The dismissal incurred an immediate one-match ban, ruling Cudicini out of Chelsea’s next domestic match — Sunday’s League Cup final.
Premier League leaders Chelsea said on Monday they would appeal but the English Football Association said on its website yesterday that the club had now withdrawn their claim for wrongful dismissal.
