JEDDAH, 13 January 2008 — Al-Hilal, Al-Nasr and Al-Ittihad secured important victories in round 16 of the Saudi Soccer League.
Competition between the top four teams is now heating up.
Hilal secured an important win against Wehda 3-1 at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh.
Local outfit Ittihad, on the other hand, put an end to Al-Hazem’s surprises at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah by beating the visitors 2-0. Nasr kept their hopes alive in Hail after sending Taie 3-1 reeling.
It has become clear that Ittihad have strengthened its position coming first with 34 points from 15 matches. Hilal have temporarily jumped to second position with 29 points and is now shadowing Ittihad. Nasr have kept its hopes alive with a win and strengthened its position at fourth place with 25 points. Shabab will host Najran in Riyadh in an important match today. Shabab hope to win Najran — a much-weaker team ranked tenth with nine points — and secure three points.
If Shabab secure the match, then the team will jump to second position. Shabab have dropped to third position with 28 points after Hilal’s win.
In another important match, Ahli will play Al-Watani in the second match today in Jeddah. Ahli will try to extend the winning streak and secure the game’s three points to advance to fifth position. Al-Watani, ranked ninth with 18 points, will try to escape from the bottom rank. The last match will be between Eastern Province rivals Al-Ittifaq and Al-Qadisiya. Ittifaq, who are at eighth position with 18 points, will try to secure the game and to gain three points to compete in the upper positions. Ittifaq have three pending matches. Qadisiya are ranked last with only five points.
