Persepolis target third final as Champions League returns dailytimes.com.pk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailytimes.com.pk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
LONDON: On Friday evening in Jeddah, Al-Ittihad defeated Al-Hilal 2-0 in the Saudi Classico thanks to first-half goals from Abdulmohsen Fatallah and Saud Abdulhamid. The result means that Al-Hilal are still top of the Saudi Pro League with 48 points from 25 games, three ahead of Al-Shabab, who face Al-Batin on Saturday. But now, Al-Ittihad in third have also closed the gap to three points.
There was much more to it than that however and there are five things we learned about the match.
1. Al Ittihad have lit up the title race
If Al-Hilal had won in Jeddah, the title race would not have been over but it would have been a major step towards another championship.
Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad clash in must-win, season-defining Saudi Classico arabnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from arabnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
RIYADH: While Bafetimbi Gomis and Odion Ighalo get the goals and the headlines for Al-Hilal and Al-Shabab, respectively, it may be Al-Ittihad defender Ahmed Hegazi who makes the difference in Saudi Arabia’s title race this season.
That is the opinion of Rhys Williams, and he should know. Al-Qadisiyah’s Australian center-back has faced both Al-Ittihad and Al-Shabab in recent weeks and is gearing up to take on Al-Hilal on Saturday.
The battle for the Saudi Pro League (SPL) title is now a three-way race thanks to the form of Al-Ittihad who have come up along the rails to third place and within striking distance of top spot.
Razvan Lucescu | Al Bawaba albawaba.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from albawaba.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.