Al-Ittihad secured an important victory in their match against Al-Hazem, part of the third round fixtures of the Rooshn League, with a 3-2 result.
"Al-ameed" staged a strong comeback after falling behind against Al-Hazem in the tournament, earning three precious points from the match.
First Half
Al-Ittihad started the match with early pressure and nearly opened the scoring in the fourth minute when the ball reached Marwan Al-Sahafi, who broke away towards goal and shot, but the goalkeeper saved it. The rebound fell to Al-Nussairi, who calmly slotting it into the net, only for the referee to disallow the goal for offside.
In the 10th minute, Al-Ittihad players exchanged consecutive passes in midfield, attempting to dominate the flow of the game.
Al-Hazem succeeded in opening the scoring in the 19th minute after launching an organized attack from the left flank, culminating in a low cross from Bololo that reached Abdulaziz Al-Duwaihi, who calmly shot the ball into the net.
Al-Ittihad's coach showed his frustration over his team falling behind in the scoreline, while Al-Hazem player Abu Bakr Baah received a yellow card in the 29th minute for protesting the referee's decision.
In the 32nd minute, Bololo fell inside Al-Ittihad's penalty area amid appeals for a penalty kick, but the referee ordered play to continue.
After reviewing video assistance technology, the referee confirmed his initial decision and did not award a penalty kick.
Al-Ittihad managed to equalize in the 36th minute when the ball reached Bergwijn, who dribbled past Al-Hazem defenders before unleashing a powerful shot from outside the penalty area that found the back of the net.
The referee stopped the match in the 38th minute to check on Marwan Al-Sahafi's condition after he fell, then returned to video review to verify whether a penalty should be awarded to Al-Ittihad.
The referee awarded a penalty kick to Al-Ittihad, which Bergwijn successfully converted with a shot to the goalkeeper's left, giving his team a 2-1 lead.
The first half ended with Al-Ittihad leading Al-Hazem by two goals to one.
Second Half
Al-Hazem began the second half with a goal disallowed in the 52nd minute after Bololo delivered a brilliant pass to Al-Nakhli, who broke away towards goal and beautifully slotted the ball into the net, only for the referee to rule it out for offside.
In the 58th minute, one of Al-Hazem's players fell inside the penalty area amid appeals for a penalty kick, but the referee refused to award it and ordered play to continue.
Al-Hazem managed to equalize in the 60th minute after delivering an excellent cross from the right flank that reached Sofiane Bendebka, who rose high and headed the ball powerfully into the net.
The 66th minute witnessed intense pressure from Al-Ittihad players searching for the go-ahead goal, but Al-Hazem's defense handled the opposing team's attacks more effectively and avoided the mistakes made during the first half.
In the 73rd minute, Bergwijn fell inside Al-Hazem's penalty area, prompting Al-Ittihad players to appeal for a penalty kick, but the referee signaled for play to continue, indicating no foul had occurred.
The referee returned to video review in the 79th minute to verify whether a penalty should be awarded to Al-Ittihad, before deciding to grant it after reviewing the incident.
Bergwijn successfully took the penalty kick, firing a powerful shot to the goalkeeper's right, scoring Al-Ittihad's third goal and restoring his team's lead.
In the final minutes, Al-Hazem applied continuous and intense pressure seeking to get back into the match, while the referee added seven minutes of stoppage time.
The match between both teams concluded with Al-Ittihad winning 3-2 in a remarkable comeback, within the framework of the third round fixtures of the Rooshn League.
