JEDDAH, 4 March 2007 — Ittihad virtually had target practice against a hapless Najran side as they racked up a 10-0 victory to qualify for the Crown Prince Cup semifinals against Al-Ittifaq. The Najran based team proved no match to the “tigers” of the Saudi team.
Though many expected Ittihad to win, no one could envisage the 10-0 drubbing of Najran yesterday.
For Ittihad players it was more like a team practice than an official quarterfinal match. Despite registering a thumping success, Ittihad’s real test will come against the Gulf Cup champions Ittifaq next.
The floodgates were opened in the seventh minute by Brazilian professional Vagnar, who after receiving a nice long pass inside the penalty box from Nur, did the rest. Saud Kariri struck for Ittihad in the 15th minute from a nice long shot from outside the penalty box that went to the left hand side of the goalkeeper.
The goals came in quick succession with Renaldo, who collected a nice pass inside the penalty box in the 26th minute, cut past the defenders before shooting true and then Al-Hasan Keta made it 4-0 two minutes later by pouncing on a neat opportunity inside the penalty box.
Ittihad striker Marzook Al-Otaibi was introduced into the match in the second half and from the first touch he smashed in the fifth goal in the 58th minute — a smart shot to the left hand side of the goalie. Al-Otaibi was again on the scorer’s list two minutes later with another thumping drive. The Najrani team lost interest in the match after the sixth goal, and the goalkeeper, despite making a game effort, could not keep the Ittihad strikers, hungry for more goals, at bay.
Keta scored the 64th minute with a nice back heel for the seventh Ittihad goal and then in the 70th minute, he iced a solo effort for his hat trick. With eight goals already on the board, Kariri’s appetite was not sated as he found the back of the net with a superb long effort in the 81st minute.
Four minutes later, Al-Otaibi, who latched onto a nice pass inside the penalty box, outmaneuvered the goalkeeper to round off Ittihad’s tally.
Najran’s dismay could be seen by the way the Najrani goalkeeper sat down and watched Al-Otaibi placing the ball home after being rounded by the Ittihad player.
Today, Al-Ahli will face Al-Faisali in the last quarterfinal at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah.
