KHOBAR — Ten-man Al Ittihad secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Al Qadsiah on Friday, with George Ilenikhena scoring the decisive goal late in the first half in the Roshn Saudi League.
Al Qadsiah made the stronger start and nearly opened the scoring in the fourth minute when Mateo Retegui met a dangerous low cross, but defensive pressure prevented him from directing his effort on target.
Al Ittihad responded almost immediately, forcing goalkeeper Ahmed Al Kassar into action as he tipped a high ball onto the crossbar before clearing the rebound ahead of Youssef En-Nesyri.
At the other end, Al Ittihad goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic produced a crucial save in the 11th minute to deny Julian Quinones in a one-on-one situation.
Al Qadsiah continued to create opportunities but were punished for failing to convert them when Ilenikhena struck in first-half stoppage time.
Following a corner, the ball fell to the Al Ittihad forward on the edge of the penalty area and he unleashed a powerful shot to beat Al Kassar and give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
Al Ittihad’s task became significantly harder early in the second half when Lopy was shown a second yellow card, reducing the visitors to 10 men.
Quinones appeared to have brought Al Qadsiah level shortly afterward with a header, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
Al Qadsiah pushed forward in search of an equalizer against the depleted visitors, but Al Ittihad’s defense held firm to preserve the narrow advantage and secure all three points.
The defeat was Al Qadsiah’s first of the season after they opened their campaign with a 3-1 victory over Al Shabab.
Source: Saudi Gazette