Ittihad and Al-Hilal maintained their run in the Saudi Premier League after recording contrasting wins over Najran and Al-Wehdah respectively on Monday. At Al-Okhdood Stadium in Najran, Al-Ittihad beat the home side 4-1 to remain on top in standings with 49 points, two clear of the runner-up Al-Hilal. Talal Al-Meshal, Renato Morais and Hicham Aboucherouane scored before the break to secure the lead for the visitors. Ali Al-Turki of Najran reduced the margin after the break but striker Abdul Aziz Al-Subiani sealed the victory three minutes from the game. The defending champion, Al-Hilal, pocketed all the three points in Makkah after edging Al-Wehdah 1-0 at the King Abdul Aziz Sports City. Substitute Mohammed Al-Anbr netted the only goal in the dying minutes of the match to keep his team on track. In another match, Al-Shabab came from behind to draw 2-2 with eight-man Al-Watani of Tabuk at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh. Ayid Al-Balawi and Nasser Al-Halawi netted Al-Watani goals before the team lost the service of three of its key players to red cards. Brazilian Marcello Camacho helped Al-Shabab come back into the match when he scored in the 62nd minute before striker Yousif Al-Salem equalized for the home side. At Prince Sultan Sports City in Asir, Al-Raed scored a late goal from the spot to beat the home team Abha 1-0. The win helped Qassim-based club Al-Raed open a four-point gap and escape from the bottom where Abha and Al-Watani sit with 11 points each. In Al-Rass, Safwan Al-Mouald netted a 41st minute goal to earn Al-Hazm a 1-0 win over Al-Nasr. Al-Ahli and Al-Ittifaq were the only teams which shared the spoils in the 19th round as they played out a goalless draw at the Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam. None of the national team players were in action as they are preparing for next week's clash against Iran in the 2010 World Cup qualifier. __
