Al-Ittihad continued its wonderful performances in the Saudi Professional League, and snatched a new victory, this time at the expense of Al-Fayhaa 2-1, in an exciting confrontation at the Radiant Jewel Stadium in Jeddah, within the sixth round of the tournament.
Al-Ittihad raised its score to 14 points from 6 matches in third place, one point behind Al-Hilal and Al-Qadisiyah. Al-Ittihad started the match strongly, but goalkeeper Mosquera succeeded in dealing with all the early attempts of the home team. But Ilyinichina was able to follow up on his teammate Steven Bergwijn's shot that bounced off the crossbar, and headed it into the net to give Al-Ittihad the lead in the 43rd minute and score its third goal in two matches. However, Jason Remisero equalized in stoppage time for Al-Fayhaa with a wonderful technical touch with the heel, ending the first half 1-1. Opportunities were lost after the break, and Al-Ittihad player Marwan Al-Sahafi fired a shot from a long range, but the defense deflected it for a corner. Al-Ittihad won a penalty kick after reviewing the video assistant referee for the presence of a handball on the Al-Fayhaa defender, which was successfully scored by substitute Al-Nusairi in the 68th minute.
Al-Hazm player Mohammed Amin bin Hamida confirmed, in an exclusive statement to Asharq Al-Awsat, that achieving the three points was the most important goal in light of the pressure and succession of the matches, after their victory over Al-Taawoun 1-0 in the sixth round of the Saudi Professional League.
Bin Hamida said: “Thank God for the victory. It was a difficult match against a stubborn and big team like Al-Taawoun, and the most important thing for us today is achieving the three points. “In light of the format and sequence of matches, the importance of winning has taken precedence over performance, and it is natural for the players to feel fatigue.”
Bin Hamida added: “We are one team, our goal is one, and we are all working to achieve it. The Saudi League is known for its strength and ferocity, and the competition in it is very great, and this helps the players to develop quickly from one match to the next.”
The Al-Hazm player concluded his speech by saying: “As a team, we have a clear goal, and God willing, we will reach it at the end of this season.”
Zarko Lazetic, Al-Taawoun coach, confirmed that his team was the better side during the match against Al-Hazm despite the loss, pointing out that the results do not reflect what the team is presenting on the field, calling for a reconsideration of the group and a deeper analysis of the reasons for the decline in results.
Lazic said during the press conference: “We congratulate Al-Hazm for the victory, and it is difficult to explain the circumstances of the match. I think that the better team lost, and this matter is repeated with us unfortunately, and we must reconsider the group.”
He added: “I did not mention that we are bad, but I said that it is difficult to explain aspects of the match. Because we were the best, and the statistics show that the opponent had no chances, and we played with all our might to equalize, and when you do not score, the players become somewhat frustrated.”
The coach touched on the statements of Al Hilal coach Simone Inzaghi, saying: “I heard Al Hilal coach Inzaghi saying that he did not sleep after the last match, and I think that I could not sleep for a long time, and for more than one round.”
In turn, Jalal Qadri, Al-Hazm coach, confirmed that his team played a difficult match against Al-Taawoun, noting that the opponent appeared strong even though his results did not reflect what he presented on the field.
Qadri said in the press conference: “It was a difficult match against a fierce competitor, and Al-Taawoun’s results do not reflect what it offers, but we knew how to advance the result, and we put Al-Taawoun under pressure, and we succeeded defensively, and what worries us most is injuries.”
He added: “In the second half, Al-Taawoun dominated, but without any danger, and we got chances and were able to finish the match, but the most important thing is that we got the points even though we did not play our usual football.”
