Al-Taawoun defeated Al-Ittihad 2-1 on Wednesday, stunning the league leaders and blowing the Roshn Saudi League title race wide open.
Fine strikes in each half from Fahad Al-Rashidi mean that the Jeddah club are still three points clear of Al-Nassr in second but both now have five games left — the chasing team have a slightly better goal difference — and there is all to play for.
The Tigers had won 11 and drawn one of the previous 12 and all knew that victory in Buraidah against the hosts, who may have been in sixth but were on a five game winless streak, would be a huge step toward a first title since 2009. Yet, against all odds, they have stumbled in what is just a second loss of the season and memories of last year — when they threw away a commanding lead at the top of the table to Al-Hilal — must not be far away. The pressure is on.
It was a fine performance from Al-Taawoun, who took the lead after 16 minutes. Pericles Camusca’s men patiently moved the ball around the middle of the park and the seventh pass came from Saad Al-Nasser. It found Al-Rashidi just nipping in behind Ahmed Hegazi on the edge of the area. There was still much to do but he brought the ball down perfectly to smash a rising first-time shot while on the run past Marcelo Grohe.
While the strike was a special one, it marked a worrying development. For a team that has had one of the tightest defenses in the world this season, it was the third game in succession in which Ittihad had failed to keep a clean sheet.
Ittihad had chances, most notably the in-form Hamdallah shooting over from close range when getting on the end of a cross from the right, but the quality did not match the quality. Hegazi headed a corner over and Mailson was called on to make a couple of saves before leaving the field just before the break due to injury.
At the break, the Tigers were well ahead in terms of possession and shots, but the only statistic that mattered meant that they had much to do.
It was always likely that Al-Taawoun were going to have to do a lot of defending in the second half, and within moments substitute goalkeeper Raghid Al-Najjar was diving to his left to palm a fine shot from Romarinho out for a corner. Eventually, from the resultant set piece, he threw himself in the opposite direction to deny Abdulrahman Al-Obud.
In the 56th minute, Al-Nasser was adjudged to have bundled Romarinho over in the area. The referee pointed to the spot but after some VAR confusion when the official appeared to have changed his mind, he eventually went to the pitchside monitor to decide that the initial foul came just outside the area and a free-kick was awarded. It did not get past the wall.
It was mostly one-way traffic, yet Al-Taawoun extended their lead midway through the second half with another fine goal from Al-Rashidi. He received the ball from Saad Yaslam just outside the area and while he seemed to slip as he shot, he bent the ball past the despairing left hand of Grohe and into the corner.
Al-Ittihad, their traveling fans and coach Nuno Santo could not believe it, not least because this was the first time all season that they had conceded more than once.
They redoubled their attacking efforts but Al-Taawoun, who have already defeated Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal this season, had the scent of a famous victory and fought for everything. After 76 minutes of trying, however, Ittihad scored as Hamdallah set up a barnstorming finish. The Moroccan showed his powers of anticipation in a crowded area to drift to the far post and sweep home Ahmed Bamasoud’s cross from the left.
With 15 minutes added time, the leaders did all they could to get something from the game. It just did not happen in a chaotic and action-packed period in which Al-Najjar excelled once more. It ended with the hosts down to ten men thanks to a late red card received by Turki Al-Mutairi.
When the smoke from this clash clears, Al-Ittihad will remind themselves that they are still three points clear at the top but also know that the title race is far from over.
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