JEDDAH, 29 September 2005 — Defending champions Al-Ittihad put themselves within striking distance of a return to the AFC Champions League final with a stunning 5-0 away win over Busan I’Park in the semifinal first leg yesterday in Korea.
The Tigers brought back the dark memories for Korean fans of last year’s final in which they beat Seongnam Chunma by the same score, as the Saudi side quashed all talk of a Korean reprisal with a five-goal rampage in the second half to virtually assure themselves of semifinal series victory over the Korea FA Cup holders.
Busan went into the game at the Gudeok Stadium with a record eight consecutive wins in the competition but three enemy goals in 10 minutes early in the second half sent them crashing to their first defeat in the Champions League. An Ittihad-Al Ain showdown in the final looked on the cards after the UAE club demolished Chinese champions Shenzhen Jianlibao 6-0 in the first leg of their semifinal match in Al Ain later yesterday.
On 29 minutes, the Busan defense was caught square by another through pass to Kallon, who eluded the advancing Kim Yong-dae but was forced wide and put the ball into the side netting from an acute angle.
Ittihad proved menacing and should have taken the lead on 37 minutes when Marzouk Al-Otaibi fed the ball to overlapping left back Adnan Ibrahim who fired wide.
Besides that there was little indication of what was going to come in the second half, as the first half was mostly dominated by the battle in midfield between the two sides as they sought to assert control of the game.
The match remained even at the break but Busan went close five minutes into the second half when a corner kick fell to Bae Hyo-sung, whose shot from point-blank range forced a fine reflex save out of Mabrouk Zaid, a stop that would ultimately prove crucial for the visitors. Sierra Leone striker Mohammed Kallon gave Ittihad another chance to go ahead two minutes later when he broke clear only for Kim Yong-dae to smother his shot and Park Joon-hong to clear off the line.
Marzouk Al-Otaibi headed in the opening goal on 55 minutes after good work by Kallon, who seven minutes later fired home Ittihad’s second goal from a free-kick after Tcheco was brought down a few feet outside the box, giving Kim no chance with a curling shot that went in off the left upright. Brazilian midfield Tcheco then delivered a hammer blow to Busan’s hopes when he volleyed home Ibrahim Suwaid’s cross on 65 minutes.
Ittihad stretched their lead on 86 minutes as the Busan defense failed to cut out Tcheco’s low cross as Saud Kariri made it 4-0, before substitute Hamzah Idris completed the rout, slipping the ball through the legs of Busan goalkeeper Kim Yong-dae in the final minute.
Beckenbauer to Visit Riyadh
Meantime, German football icon Franz Beckenbauer will lead a delegation on a visit to Riyadh on Oct. 3. Beckenbauer, president of the German World Cup Organizing Committee, is to offer congratulations to Saudi Arabia for qualifying to the World Cup finals next summer and present progress report on preparations for the tournament.
A reception will be held at Prince Sultan Grand Hall of Faisaliah Hotel to welcome Beckenbauer and company whose visit comes some 250 days before the World Cup opening match in Germany.
— Additional input from agencies
