Al-Ittihad Strengthen Top-Five Position With Victory Over Al-Ettifaq

Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad continued their strong finish to the season with a 3-1 victory away to Al-Ettifaq in Dammam on Thursday, strengthening their hold on fifth place with two matches remaining.

The visitors made a fast start at EGO Stadium and needed only three minutes to open the scoring through Algerian midfielder Houssem Aouar. Al-Ittihad maintained the pressure and doubled their advantage in the 19th minute when Moussa Diaby found the net after a sharp attacking move.

Al-Ettifaq responded positively and pulled a goal back seven minutes later through Khalid Al-Ghannam, giving the home side renewed hope before halftime. The hosts thought they had earned a chance to equalise deep into stoppage time in the first half when they appealed for a penalty, but after a VAR review the claim was rejected.

The second half saw Al-Ettifaq push forward in search of another goal, but Al-Ittihad regained control late in the match. Diaby scored his second goal of the evening in the 78th minute to restore the two-goal advantage and secure all three points for the visitors.

The result moves Al-Ittihad to 55 points, leaving them fifth in the standings and three points ahead of Al-Taawoun with only two fixtures left this season. Al-Ettifaq remain seventh on 49 points and have one game left to play.

In another Saudi Pro League match, Al-Qadsiah defeated visiting Al-Hazem 2-0 to maintain pressure in the race for a top-three finish. Julian Quinones put the hosts ahead after 14 minutes and later had another effort ruled out by VAR. Ali Abdullah Hazari sealed the victory with five minutes remaining.

The win keeps Brendan Rodgers’s side in fourth place on 74 points, only one point behind third-placed Al-Ahli, who still have a game in hand. Al-Hazem stay ninth on 39 points.

Al-Fateh also celebrated a comfortable 2-0 home win over Al-Najma. Maria Vargas opened the scoring in the 20th minute before Fahad Al-Zubaidi added the second goal shortly after the break in the 54th minute.

Any chance of a comeback for Al-Najma disappeared when Brazilian midfielder Guga received a red card in the 68th minute, leaving the visitors to finish the match with 10 men.

The victory lifts Al-Fateh to 12th place with 36 points ahead of their final game of the campaign. Al-Najma remain rooted to the bottom of the table on 13 points and are unable to escape last place regardless of the outcome of their final match.fs