Al Ahli Secure Derby Win With A Solitary Goal Against Al Ittihad and Go Five Points Clear in Third Place
A solo goal from Feras Al Buraikan secured an Al Ahli win, completing the double over Al Ittihad. On Monday night, over 50,000 were in attendance for the Jeddah derby, which saw Al Ahli secure the win and tighten their grip on third place.
The win puts Al Ahli five points clear of their local rivals, Al Ittihad, a cushion that will certainly delight their fans. Both teams started off cautiously, with few chances created in the initial minutes of the game.
After twenty minutes, the packed stadium started to see some action. Romarinho exchanged passes with Abderrazak Hamdallah but could not shoot on target when it was left to him to open the scoring.
Al Ittihad played a lively game but suffered from wasteful efforts from Karim Benzema and Fawaz Al Saqour. A patient Al Ahli scored through a well-worked passing move that saw the ball move from Allan Saint-Maximin to Roberto Firminho to Feras Al Buraikan, who scored. The goal was Buraikan’s 14th of the season.
Goalkeeper Eduardo Mendy’s heroics made securing the win largely possible. The former Chelsea goalkeeper kept Al Ittihad’s chances away, including a threatening Karim Benzema header that had seen an awkward deflection.
A N’Golo Kante effort looked certain to secure the equalizer when Mendy was left rooted to his position, only for the ball to miss the target. Defensive grit led by Merih Demiral ensured Al Ahli kept a clean sheet and secured the three points.
