JEDDAH, 21 June 2005 — Al-Ittihad cleared the first of the three hurdles in their campaign to win the King Fahd Cup trophy by crushing Al-Nasr 6-0 last night at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium here.
The inspired Ittihad side were in complete control of the first match in the four-man stepladder final, scoring three goals in each half to the delight of the home crowd of 40,000.
The victory set third qualifier Ittihad up to another knockout battle against No. 2 Al-Hilal. The winner of this match will advance to a winner-take-all match with waiting top finalist Al-Shabab.
While Ittihad played true to form fourth finalist Nasr of Riyadh were a disappointment, unable to mount a decent challenge all evening. A goal from 40 yards out by Osama Al-Mowalid right in the second minute sent Ittihad off to an amazing goalfest.
An own goal by Sergio in the 35th minute gave Ittihad a 2-0 lead. Ittihad sat on a 3-0 lead by halftime with a 37th minute strike by Muhammad Nur who last touched the ball in a passing play that began with Marzouk Al-Otaibi who then rifled a pass to Abu Shugair.
The second half was more of the same with a flurry of goals from Al-Suwaid in the 48th minute, Al-0taibi in the 60th and Saleh Al-Sagri in the 84th. Only on two occasions did Al Nasr make a dent on Ittihad’s defense — in the 18th minute when Taweer Al-Halawi made a direct hit that smashed the goalpost and in the 64th minute when Ali Yazid’s attempt went just wide.
Brazil to Make Changes Against Japan
In Nuremberg, Germany, Ronaldinho and Kaka could be among up to four players to be rested for Brazil’s decisive Confederations Cup game with Japan in Cologne today, Reuters add.
“We had always planned to change the team for the third game and we’ll do that,” coach Carlos Alberto Parreira told reporters in Hanover yesterday. Asked about creative midfielders Ronaldinho and Kaka, he added: “Both have had tiring seasons in Europe and we may decide to keep them fresh for a possible semifinal.
