JEDDAH, 25 December 2007 — Al-Ittifaq have half the job done in their bid to retain the Gulf Club Championship crown by beating UAE’s Al-Jazira 2-0 in the first leg of the final at Prince Mohammed ibn Fahd Stadium in Dammam last night.
The two teams played a very cautious first half as was customary in all finals with a slight advantage to the home team.
Saleh Basher’s two goals in the second half lit up the game and gave the home fans a sigh of relief following one of his best performances of the season.
The Saudi international headed in the first goal in the 60th minute on an excellent looping pass by the cat-quick Rashed Al-Rahib who gave the guest defenders a lot of headache with his fluid movement on the right-hand side through out the match.
Al-Jazira took control of the game from there as they pressured the home team to their side up until the last minute. Al-Jazira team captain and former Dutch international Phillipe Cucu had two shots on goal — one via header in the 70th and another from a free kick that was just tipped over the bar by Ittifaqi goalkeeper Faisal Al-Khaldi.
The sideline referee made a controversial decision that deprived the guests of a legitimate goal after he called offside on Ahmad Juma in the 76th minute. From a counter attack in the last seconds of the four-minute extra time Basher found himself face to face with the goalie after a brilliant pass by Moroccan midfielder Salah Aldeen Aqal, and as all veteran players do he confidently booted the ball past the right-hand side of the goalie for Ittifaq’s second goal to the delight of the cheering partisan crowd.
The second leg of the final will be played next Monday in Abu Dhabi.
