RIYADH, 17 March 2006 — Al-Nasr surprisingly beat frontrunners Al-Shabab 2-1 in round 21 upset in the Saudi Football League yesterday at the Prince Faisal ibn Fahd Stadium here.
Though nothing but prestige was on the line for Nasr they played like the game meant everything and were rewarded with the face-saving win. Nasr scored a goal in each half courtesy of Kaled Salama in the 18th minute and Osumwa in the 48th minute. Shabab’s only goal in the match came in the 78th minute from a penalty kick.
Nasr, out of the running for a final four spot, are in the 8th position with 23 points. Shabab remain in first place with 44 points.
Al-Ittifaq beat Taie 4-0 in the other match yesterday. The big match today pits Al-Hilal against Al-Ittihad in Riyadh. Al-Ahli host Abha in Jeddah at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium and Al-Hazem entertain Wehda in Al-Rass in the other matches.
According to a statement issued by Asir Province Governor Prince Khalid Al-Faisal they will establish a fund to support the Abha club under the supervision of the province. He expressed his thanks to the honorary president of the club Ali Al-Shihri who kept supporting the club morally and financially. Prince Al-Faisal also thanked the club manegement for their efforts in enhancing the club performance.
Meanwhile, Jeddah hosted a friendly match between the Iraqi and Saudi national soccer teams at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium. The match ended in a 2-2 draw. The Saudi goal scorers were Nawwaf Al-Tumyat and Sami Al-Jaber. Striker Mohammed Nasser and Haidar Abd Ameer booted in the goals for the Iraqi side. At the end of the match Prince Sultan ibn Fahd, president of both the Youth Welfare and Saudi Football Federation presented the SFF trophy to Hussain Saeed, head of the Iraqi team who in return offered their Iraqi federation trophy in a reciprocal gesture. “ Whether we win or lose, what matters is that we hope we gave the fans the performance and excitement they were looking for,” said the Iraqi football team coach.
In Riyadh, deputy-president of Youth Welfare, Mansour Al-Khudairi, welcomed the Japanese youth group who came for a 10-day tour of the Kingdom. The group which arrived on Wednesday will visit cities such as Riyadh, Dammam and Al-Jubail. The visit is within the framework of the joint program for youth and sports between the two countries and aimed at cultivating knowledge about the Kingdom not only through its cultural, industrial and historical backgrounds but sports as well.
Equestrian Tournaments: Jeddah hosted yesterday its 18th equestrian tournaments for this season. The first race was for local horses, aged three years, at 1, 600 meters. The Equestrian Club’s prize went to the winner in the second race for local horses aged four years over a distance of 2, 000 meters. The third open race was for imported horses aged four years, at 1,400 meters and the winner received a car offered by Abdulaziz Al-Sahli. Arabian horses, aged four years, competed in the the 1,400m fourth race for Marriott Hotel Cup. The last prize was the Ministry of Finance Cup for the fifth race for local novice horses at 2,400 meters. On Wednesday the Equestrian Club in Buraidah held their 17th race meeting consisting of four races. Winner in the first race at 1,600 meters was Shibil Thamer owned by Al-Izz stable. Winner in the second race for novices for the 1,600 meters was Sahm Al-Adham owned by Abdullah Al-Tuwaijri. King Abdul Aziz Center for Talented prize went to Kitafa, owned by Abdulrahman Al-Yehya at 2, 000 meters. The last open race at 2, 000 meters went to Al-Saad owned by Ahmed Al-Tuwaijri’s sons.
Sinnai Arab Bowling Championship: The Kingdom national bowling team will participate in the Sinnai Arab Bowling championship, hosted in Cairo, Egypt from April 7 to 14. Egyptian Bowling Federation will organize the championship at the International Bowling Center in which Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Jordon, Morocco and the host country Egypt are participating. “The championship is being staged as part of the Sinnai Independence Day celebration,” said General Hanafi Riyadh, president of the Arab and the Egyptian Bowling Federation.
