In a thrilling match at Al-Inma Stadium in Jeddah, Al-Ettifaq secured a valuable and well-deserved 1-0 victory over hosts Al-Ittihad in the 16th round of the Saudi Professional League. This win not only earned Al-Ettifaq three crucial points but also demonstrated their ability to compete with top teams away from home, igniting the competition in the middle and top of the standings.
Match details and the decisive goal
Al-Faisaly owes this victory to its star player, Khalid Al-Ghannam, who managed to unlock Al-Ittihad's defense in the 54th minute. The goal was the culmination of a well-coordinated attack, as Al-Ghannam received the ball skillfully on the left flank before unleashing a powerful shot that nestled into the top left corner of the net, past Serbian goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic, giving the visitors the lead and stunning the Al-Ittihad fans.
Rodak shines while Al-Ittihad's attack struggles
Despite a fast start to the match and Al-Ittihad's attacking initiative, Slovakian goalkeeper Marek Rodak proved an impenetrable wall, thwarting their hopes. Rodak made a series of crucial saves, beginning with a powerful shot from Malian Mohamed Doumbia in the 11th minute, and continuing with a brilliant stop from Frenchman Moussa Diaby's effort in the final moments of the first half. In the second half, Al-Ittihad maintained their intense pressure through attempts by Portuguese player Pereira and Karim Benzema, but their haste and Al-Ettifaq's solid defense prevented them from equalizing.
Turning point: Rajkovic's expulsion
Al-Ittihad's troubles deepened in the final minutes of the match, specifically in the 85th minute, when the referee showed a red card to goalkeeper Rajkovic for handling the ball outside the penalty area to prevent a clear goal-scoring opportunity, leaving the home side to finish the game with ten men. Despite being a man down, Al-Ittihad tried to get back into the game, but Al-Ettifaq's substitute goalkeeper, Mohammed Al-Absi, was equal to the task and made a crucial save from Costa Rican Francisco Calvo in the 87th minute.
The two teams' positions in the standings
With this result, Al-Ettifaq's points tally jumped to 25, strengthening their position in the mid-table and closing in on the leading teams. This reflects the team's tactical development and their ability to achieve positive results against popular opponents. Meanwhile, Al-Ittihad's points remained at 27, dealing a significant blow to their title aspirations. This loss increases the pressure on the Jeddah-based club to reassess their strategy in the upcoming rounds to ensure they don't fall further behind in the race for continental qualification.
