In a night where Al-Ittihad needed a last-gasp goal to escape the trap set by Damac, Sergio Conceição came out and laid the cards on the table: the era of competing for the title is over, and the battle now is for an Asian spot through fifth place.
Following a 2-1 win over Damac on Sunday evening in Jeddah, part of Matchday 32 of the Saudi Roshn League, Conceição made it clear in the press conference that the match was far from easy, describing the opponent as “stubborn.”
He stressed the importance of securing all three points in the final meters of the season, saying, “This is the reality, and we have to accept it. Fifth place is not our ambition, but at the same time, today’s win was crucial.”
With this victory, Al-Ittihad raised its tally to 52 points, level with Al-Taawoun, who sit in fifth place. However, the “Dean” remains sixth due to goal difference favoring Al-Taawoun (16 vs. 10). The race for the fifth spot is heating up between Al-Ittihad and Al-Taawoun, while Al-Ettifaq lurks in seventh with 49 points.
Al-Ittihad had taken the lead through Algerian midfielder Houssem Aouar in the 24th minute, before Ivorian substitute striker Yako Mite equalized in the 73rd minute. In the dying moments of the match at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium, substitute winger Abdulaziz Al-Bishi snatched the winning goal for Al-Ittihad.