August 29, ,(THEWILL) – Al-Ittihad opened a two-point lead at the top of the Saudi Pro League with a 3-0 victory over Odion Ighalo’s Al-Wehda on Monday night.
The win was Al-Ittihad’s fourth out of four matches so far played in the new Saudi Pro League, leaving them as the only side yet to either draw or lose after four matches. The goals came from Romarinho, Jota and Igor Coronado, all in the second half.
Al-Ittihad dominated possession and created a number of chances, but they had to wait until the 63rd minute to break the deadlock when Romarinho fired home from distance. Jota doubled Al-Ittihad’s lead four minutes later, and Coronado sealed the win with a third goal in the 73rd minute.
Al-Wehda substituted in Ighalo to take the place of Hawsawi Ahmed and the Nigerian forward played for just 21 minutes, most of which were spent looking for gaps in the Ittihad backline to no avail. The rest of the squad had chances of their own, but they were unable to break down the Al-Ittihad defence.
Al-Ittihad’s victory underscores the immediate gains from their substantial summer squad investment. Even after Karim Benzema was substituted before the end of the first half due to injury, they secured a decisive win. Benzema’s return is hoped for by Friday’s pivotal clash against Al Hilal. The following day, Al Wehda face Al Taawoun away.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
