Al-Ittihad fall behind in race for ACL Elite spot after being held by Al-Kholood

DAMMAM: Al-Kholood will not be a popular name among Al-Ittihad fans after this season.

In March the club from Ar Rass beat the Tigers on penalties in the King Cup semifinal and on Monday held them to a draw with a disciplined defensive performance that dented Al-Ittihad’s hopes of securing an AFC Champions League Elite spot.

The result leaves the Tigers sixth, three points behind Al-Taawoun, with a game in hand. Having beaten Al-Taawoun on Wednesday to boost their chances of leapfrogging them into fifth, Al-Ittihad struggled to build on that momentum against an Al-Kholood team fighting to secure their Saudi Pro League status for next season.

Sergio Conceicao’s side again lined up in a 3-4-3 formation, with Houssem Aouar and Steven Bergwijn roaming between the lines behind Youssef En-Nesyri. But the first half was largely subdued from an attacking perspective.

Al-Kholood sat deep in a 4-4-2 shape, relying on Saudi duo Hattan Bahebri and Abdulaziz Al-Aliwa combining on the counter down the right flank. But the standout performer for Des Buckingham’s side was goalkeeper Juan Cozzani.

Moussa Diaby and Mohannad Al-Shanqeeti were introduced in the second half, adding much-needed impetus to Al-Ittihad’s attack. The hosts became more direct and created several chances but Cozzani produced a series of fine saves to preserve his clean sheet.

The Argentinian goalkeeper truly shined after the hour mark. In the 60th minute he denied Diaby in a one-on-one situation with a strong stop. Minutes later he kept out a powerful effort from Bergwijn before tipping Danilo’s long-range strike over the crossbar.

Cozzani capped his performance with a double save from an En-Nesyri header and Aouar’s close range rebound, before also denying