Al Najma 0:3 Al-Ittihad FC: King's Cup Match Result

Match report

Al-Ittihad cruise past Al-Najaf in King's Cup

Al-Ittihad saw off Al-Najaf 3-0 in the Round of 32 of the King's Cup on Monday evening, a result that felt inevitable from the first whistle. G. Ilenikhena opened the scoring in the sixteenth minute and doubled his tally before half-time, putting the visitors in control. And here's the thing — Al-Najaf never really got a foothold, chasing shadows for the remainder. The second goal arrived in the thirty-eighth minute, another Ilenikhena finish that ended Al-Najaf's hopes of a comeback early. By then the visitors had already created more, their movement sharper, their passing more incisive. Al-Najaf's defence looked exposed, particularly in wide areas where Al-Ittihad's full-backs pushed forward without fear. D. Pereira added a third in the fifty-first minute, a goal that stretched the lead and gave Al-Najaf something else to think about. The hosts tried to respond, and A. Al Ghamdi found the net in the fifty-eighth, but the effort was cancelled by VAR. To be fair, Al-Najaf had played reasonably well in spells, but one mistake ends it when you're facing a side this clinical. The statistics tell a story of dominance without domination. Al-Ittihad registered 2.38 expected goals against just 1.01 for the hosts, and their nine shots on target compared with five shows they were the more threatening side. Possession was even at 51 per cent to 49, but quality of chance was where the divide lay. Al-Najaf's recent form has been uneven — a 2:2 draw with Al-Khazem followed by a 0:2 defeat to Al-Fateh — and this result adds to a difficult patch. Al-Ittihad, meanwhile, carried momentum from their 4:1 victory over Al-Jazira on Friday. They advance to the next round, and their opponents go home with nothing to show for their efforts.

Prepared from match data

Key numbers

Possession, % 49 – 51

Shots on target 5 – 9

Shots off target 6 – 6

Expected goals 1.01 – 2.38

⚽ 16' G. Ilenikhena — Goal ⇄ 27' J. Simic — Substitution ⚽ 38' G. Ilenikhena — Goal 🟨 44' A. Al Ghamdi — Yellow card ⇄ 46' H. Aouar — Substitution ⇄ 46' O. Al Oudah — Substitution ⇄ 46' A. Al Shammeri — Substitution ⚽ 51' D. Pereira — Goal ⚽ 58' A. Al Ghamdi — Goal 58' A. Al Ghamdi — var_goal_cancelled 🟨 60' J. Mendonca — Yellow card ⇄ 61' G. Ilenikhena — Substitution ⇄ 61' R. Kaabi — Substitution ⇄ 61' M. Al Shaekh — Substitution ⇄ 69' S. Al Saeed — Substitution ⇄ 74' M. Al Sahafi — Substitution 🟨 81' N. Al Haleel — Yellow card 🟨 85' A. Al Hawsawi — Yellow card ⇄ 86' A. Al Badah — Substitution

Match events

16' Al-Ittihad FC Goal G. Ilenikhena assist: A. Al Ghamdi
27' Al-Ittihad FC Substitution J. Simic off: A. Al Julaydan
38' Al-Ittihad FC Goal G. Ilenikhena
44' Al-Ittihad FC Yellow card A. Al Ghamdi
46' Al-Ittihad FC Substitution H. Aouar off: F. Al Shamrani
46' Al Najma Substitution O. Al Oudah off: A. Al Hawsawi
46' Al Najma Substitution A. Al Shammeri off: N. Al Haleel
51' Al-Ittihad FC Goal D. Pereira assist: M. Fagihy
58' Al-Ittihad FC Goal A. Al Ghamdi
58' Al-Ittihad FC var_goal_cancelled A. Al Ghamdi
60' Al Najma Yellow card J. Mendonca
61' Al-Ittihad FC Substitution G. Ilenikhena off: S. Al Shehri
61' Al-Ittihad FC Substitution R. Kaabi off: M. Ali
61' Al Najma Substitution M. Al Shaekh off: A. Al Najjar
69' Al Najma Substitution S. Al Saeed off: M. Al Marri
74' Al-Ittihad FC Substitution M. Al Sahafi off: S. Bergwijn
81' Al Najma Yellow card N. Al Haleel
85' Al Najma Yellow card A. Al Hawsawi
86' Al Najma Substitution A. Al Badah off: E. Madani

Statistics

49 Possession, % 51

5 Shots on target 9

6 Shots off target 6

1.01 Expected goals 2.38

2 Big chances 5

90 Attacks 96

2 Corners 6

12 Fouls 15

14 Free kicks 11

1 Offsides 1

2 Yellow cards 1

0 Red cards 0

8 Goal kicks 7

17 Throw-ins 15

All statistics

6/1155% Aerial duels 5/1145%

75 Backward passes 72

1 Blocked shots 3

19 Clearances 11

8/1650% Crosses 7/1839%

4/1136% Dribbles 5/1436%

0.55 Expected assists 2.53

56 Failed passes 62

6 Goalkeeper saves 5

14 Interceptions 10

11 Key passes 16

23/4353% Long passes 22/3858%

77 Passes into the final third 88

212 Passes in the opposition half 226

197 Passes in own half 210

0.42 Shot accuracy 0.50

5 Shots inside the box 12

10/1856% Tackles 11/1958%

393 Total passes 418

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