Al-Ittihad suffered another setback in this season’s Roshn Saudi League after a shock defeat at home against Al-Raed. The defeat increases the gap between the league leaders Al-Hilal by 22 points.
The 3-1 defeat to Raed officially puts Ittihad out of the title race. This is their successive defeat after the club failed to make the semifinals of the FIFA Club World Cup after a 3-1 loss against Al-Ahly of Egypt. Marcelo Gallardo, appointed as the successor of Nuno Santo in November, has the RSL title out of sight and can turn their focus into the Asian Champions League knockout stage and the King’s Cup.
Ittihad had a tough start to the game, with defender Madallah Al-Olayan shown a red card for his challenge on Julio Tavares. The visitors took the lead through Karim El-Berkaoui ten minutes later. Ittihad responded quickly with a goal from Romarinho. The match did not favor Al-Ittihad as Karim El-Berkaoui caused Ittihad more problems by taking back the lead through his second goal.
Mohammed Al-Dossary sealed a famous win for Al-Raed. The win placed them out of the relegation zone. Ittihad awaits a big challenge as they face Al-Nassr on Tuesday.
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