JEDDAH, 20 December 2006 — Al-Ahli of Jeddah failed to deliver on their promise, taking a 1-0 defeat from CA Bordj Bou Arreridj in the Arab Champions League competition yesterday.
The Group A first leg quarterfinal match took place in Algeria in front of large cheering home crowd and in very cold temperature. The only goal of the match came in the 41st minute from a fatal defense mistake by Ali Albdali who failed to cover the player who scored the goal. Mustapha Meer drilled a header past the left hand side of the goalie.
Ahli came on strong in the second half determined to score the equalizer. All attempts were met by strong Algerian defense line.
The Algerian players relied heavily on fast counter attacks while covering the defense line. The Algerian defense as expected managed to limit the movement of Ahli striker Malek Muaz who was not effective for most of the match. The result left Ahli in second place with 3 points only and CA Bordj Bou Arreridj in first with 4 points from one win against Ahli and one draw against El Zamalek of Egypt in Egypt.
Ahli club president Ahmad Al-Marzooki said the team did not perform well in this match for many reasons including the weather and the stadium field. He said that Ahli failed to control the midfield. He said that Ahli still have many chances in the upcoming matches. The Moroccan referee red carded team captain Hussein Abdul Ghani and Ahli midfielder Turki Al-Thagafi.
El Zamalek of Egypt will face Qadesiya of Kuwait in the same competition in Kuwait. Qadisiya suffered an embarrassing defeat against Ahli 6-0. The Kuwaiti team will look forward to win the game three points and equalize with Ahli knowing that a defeat or a draw may mean an early exit from the competition. El Zamalek, on the other hand, will also look for the game three points to equalize with the Algerian team.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Province derby between Al-Ittifaq and Qadisiya ended 0-0 in the second round match in Saudi Football League. The first round match between both teams ended 2-1 in favor of Qadisiya.
The match was strong from both sides with attacks and fast counter attacks galore. Qadisiya were more dangerous though for the most part and their doggedness showed a strong desire to do better in the second round and escape relegation. The positions did not change after this match. Ittifaq remained in fifth position with 17 points while Qadisiya is dangerously positioned in the ninth with mere 11 points.
The second round matches resume today with Taie hosting Al-Ittihad in Hail, Al-Faisali hosting Shabab and Khaleej playing against Hilal in Dammam.
