JEDDAH — Saleh Al Shehri's first-half goal led Al Ittihad to a 1-0 victory over Al Ahli in the Sea Derby, keeping the pressure on Roshn Saudi League leaders Al Hilal. The match, held in front of 52,546 fans at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium on Thursday, marked Al Ittihad manager Laurent Blanc's first derby win. Al Ahli's Franck Kessie, who scored the decisive goal in his debut derby in April, had the game's first chance, curling a shot from Feras Al Buraikan's pass, but Al Ittihad goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic was well-positioned to save. Al Shehri, standing in for the injured Karim Benzema, netted the only goal three minutes before halftime, capitalizing on Moussa Diaby's expert assist to score his seventh career goal against Al Ahli. Al Ahli nearly equalized early in the second half when Ali Al Asmari's pass found Ivan Toney, who rounded Rajkovic only to see his shot heroically cleared off the line by Abdulelah Al Amri. Moments later, Kessie thought he had leveled the score, but his effort was ruled offside after a VAR review. Al Ahli continued to press, with Kessie again coming close, only for Rajkovic to deny him once more. Deep into added time, Diaby almost doubled Al Ittihad's lead with a stunning 70-yard solo run, only to be thwarted by the post. With this win, Al Ittihad now sits solidly in second place with 24 points from 27, their only defeat coming against Al Hilal. Al Ahli's recent form under coach Mathias Jaissle has been inconsistent, with just one win in their last five games, leaving them at risk of slipping into the bottom half of the standings.
