JEDDAH, 4 December 2006 — Al-Nasr striker Talal Al-Mishal’s goal in the dying moments was disallowed for off-side and this allowed Al-Hilal to walk away with full points with a 2-1 verdict in the Saudi Soccer League yesterday.
But the Riyadh derby at Prince Faisal ibn Fahd Stadium degenerated into an all-out fight just before the final whistle as altercation between players erupted with the chagrined Nasr players trying to get at the referee who, they felt, had robbed them of a deserved point.
Members of the security forces had to step in to restore quick order and later whisk the officials away from harm’s way. As the players simmered so did their fans, who hurled missiles and objects on to the field.
Hilal, with this win, increased their hold on the top place with 24 points. They opened the account in the 5th minute of the match through Yasir Al-Qahtani, whose super backheel shot bulged the net.
Nasr scored the equalizer following a long-distance rocket shot by Deya Haroon, but once again fell in arrears when Hilal’s Libyan professional Tariq Al-Tayeb, after collecting a nice pass from Al-Qahtani, raced into the box and with only the goalkeeper to beat sent the ball in to the left of the goalie.
Hilal sustained their territorial domination till the surprise from Talal Al-Mishal, who raced past two Hilal defenders to connect a curving cross first time, with the match slipping into injury time. With Hilal goalkeeper Muhammad Al-Daeya comprehensively beaten, Hilal were given a reprieve with the referee disallowing the goal, as the linesman had flagged Mishal offside.
This sparked a big fight between Hilal and Nasr players, and members of the security forces had to enter the field to control the situation. The crowd’s anger too spilled over with the security personnel and the match officials being the targets.
The match was delayed for more than 14 minutes until the situation was brought under control.
Nasr failed to find an equalizer in the extra three minutes of injury time and the match ended 2-1 in Hilal’s favor. Nasr remained in eighth position with 10 points.
In Jeddah at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium, Al-Ittihad earned a last-gasp equalizer against Ittifaq in a 1-1 draw. Muhammad Al-Sahli put Ittifaq ahead in the 81st minute and that lead was canceled out by Jared Borgetti in the 90th minute. Ittihad remained in fourth position with 17 points while Ittifaq is still sixth with 12 points.
