Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Jeddah: Naif Hazazi fired home a penalty 10 minutes from time as Al Ittihad maintained their 100 per cent record at the top of Group B with a narrow victory over Baniyas on Wednesday.
The striker had earlier missed a couple of golden chances to put his side ahead but he kept his composure to convert the spot kick which took the Saudi club five points clear at the top of the group and within touching distance of a spot in the last 16.
A victory over Baniyas in the return match in Abu Dhabi in a fortnight's time would see the two-time AFC Champions League winners advance to the knockout rounds for the sixth time in nine years.
Al Ittihad were quickly out of the blocks at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium and could have opened the scoring in the opening 20 seconds.
A long ball from the Al Ittihad half picked out Hazazi on the edge of the Baniyas box and although he was quickly blocked off by defenders, he was able to lay the ball off for Faouzi Abdelghni, whose low shot produced a fine fingertip save by Mohamed Khalaf.
Hazazi squandered a golden opportunity in the 16th minute after a slip by a Baniyas defender near the halfway line allowed him to run clear with only Khalaf to beat. He had plenty of time to pick out his spot but steered his attempt wide of the target.
United Arab Emirates clubs have yet to manage an AFC Champions League victory in Saudi Arabia but Baniyas gave a good account of themselves and created some opportunities of their own.
On the half-hour mark, a great burst from midfield by Ahmed Ali took him past three defenders and his cross picked out Andre Senghor whose header forced goalkeeper Mabrouk Zaid into a diving save.
Three minutes before half-time, a great through ball by Thamer Mohammed sent Senghor clear but the Senegalese striker fired wide with only Zaid to beat.
Al Ittihad came out with renewed purpose after the break and Hazazi had another great chance two minutes into the second half when he outmuscled defender Mohammed Jaber to get to a cross and brought the ball down before he smacked his effort against the crossbar.
Khalaf produced an unorthodox save with his legs to keep out a header by Redha Tukar and then stopped Abdelghni again with another diving save.
The game appeared to be headed for a goalless draw until Abdelghni was tripped up by Ismael Bouzid 10 minutes from time and Hazazi coolly sent Khalaf the wrong way from the spot to give his side the win.
It was Al Ittihad's sixth win in seven games since their appointment of Raul Caneda as coach and the Spaniard later paid tribute to the club's fans, who provided loud and passionate support for his players throughout the game.
"We had great support from our fans and I'm glad that we managed to win and make these people happy with the three points that we got. We played with an attacking style and we were rewarded," said Caneda.
"We made several changes in the second period and this was the best half that we have played since I took charge of the team. The most important thing is that we got the three points and we are still on top with a perfect record."
The result marked an unhappy return to Jeddah for Baniyas coach Gabriel Calderon, who led Al Ittihad to the AFC Champions League final in 2009.
"I would like to thank my team for the big game they had and the impressive effort they have put tonight. We had a lot of chances to score but unfortunately we couldn't put the ball in the back of the net," said the Argentine.
"However, this is football where you could lose or win. We still have a chance to qualify for the next round despite this defeat as we have three matches to play and I promise our fans that we will have better performances and results in these games."