JEDDAH, 26 November 2006 — Al-Shabab squandered the chance of going to the top of the Saudi Soccer League after a 3-3 draw against Al-Ittifaq in Dammam.
Faisal Al-Dosari struck in the fourth minute of the game to give Ittifaq the honor of scoring the fastest goal in the league.
Naji Majrashi of Shabab equalized in the 16th minute and they took the lead in the 29th minute through Muhammad Al-Hulayyiel. But ten minutes later, Saleh Basheer clinched the equalizer for Ittifaq.
Shabab once again went ahead on a penalty kick in the 74th minute but Saleh Basheer helped the home team draw level in the 81st minute. The draw slowed Shabab down and kept them in second place with 19 points, two behind leaders Al-Hilal. Ittifaq jumped to 6th position with 11 points.
Ahli to Face Tough Time in Morocco
Al-Ahli of Jeddah arrived in Morocco on Friday to face RCA Raja C in their second-leg Arab Champions League match scheduled for today. The first match played in Jeddah ended in a 1-1 draw.
In cold weather, Ahli must win this crucial match because a goalless draw will eliminate the Saudi team from the tournament. Ahli have to score an early goal if they want to remain in contention.
Tomorrow, Al-Nasr will face MC Alger in Algeria in their second leg that will decide the qualifier to the next round. Nasr won the first leg against the Algerian team 2-1 in Riyadh last week. Nasr left for Algeria on Friday. The president of the Nasr club, Prince Faisal ibn Abdul Rahman, urged the players to turn in a good performance against this difficult opponent.
