JEDDAH: A late, late penalty from Abderrazak Hamdallah in Jeddah on Thursday gave Al-Ittihad a dramatic 2-1 win over Al-Shabab, a six-point lead at the top of the Roshn Saudi League and a sight of a first title since 2009.
It was a tale of four penalties, three scored and one missed in the most extraordinary of fashions. A first half spot kick from Hamdallah put the Tigers ahead but Cristian Guanca levelled after the break for the visitors.
With just a couple of minutes of regulation time remaining, Aaron Boupendza had a chance to become a hero for Al-Shabab only to see his penalty saved by Ittihad hero Marcelo Grohe.
With 100 minutes on the clock, Hamdallah showed how it is done and the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium went crazy. It was a high-quality and thrilling dramatic encounter between the league’s first and third placed teams.