Al Ittihad, managed by Nuno Espirito Santo, faced a setback in the Asian Champions League as they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Air Force Club of Iraq on Monday night, marking their first loss in the ongoing tournament.
The Saudi Arabian champions, currently struggling in the domestic Saudi Pro League, entered the match in Erbil with a perfect record in Group C, having previously defeated Air Force Club 1-0 in Jeddah last month. However, goals from Ali Jasim and Mohannad Abdulraheem narrowed the gap to the group leaders, pulling the hosts within two points after four matches.
The turning point came one minute before half-time when Jasim capitalized on Abdulraheem’s cut-back, firing the ball into the net, giving the home side the lead.
Jasim had earlier struck the base of the post with a powerful shot and forced a save from Saudi goalkeeper Abdullah Al Maayouf with a well-placed volley.
Al Ittihad’s woes continued into the second half as Abdulraheem volleyed in a close-range shot from Ibrahim Bayesh’s low cross, further extending Air Force Club’s lead.
Despite their strong performance in the Asian arena, Al Ittihad has struggled in the Saudi Pro League, failing to secure a victory in their last five matches and slipping to the sixth position after 12 rounds. Speculation is rife that manager Nuno Espirito Santo could be on the verge of leaving the club.
Meanwhile, in Group D, four-time champions Al Hilal maintained their unbeaten record with a 2-0 victory against Mumbai City in India, securing their spot in the knockout stages.
Winger Michael opened the scoring just after the hour mark at the DY Patil Stadium, and Aleksandar Mitrovic doubled the lead in the 85th minute.
Mumbai City faced further setbacks when defender Mehtab Singh was sent off nine minutes into the second half for a second bookable offense, leaving them with a numerical disadvantage in the match.
