Painful defeat pushes Al Ittihad away from the league title race against Al Ettifaq

Al Ittihad suffered a painful defeat against Al Ettifaq, losing 1–0 in a result that further distances “The Tigers” from the title race. The only goal of the match was scored by Khaled Al Ghanam in the 54th minute, after an assist from Faris Al Ghamdi, giving Al Ettifaq an advantage they maintained until the final whistle. The match witnessed a controversial moment when VAR disallowed a goal scored by Roger Ibañez for Al Ittihad in the 48th minute due to offside, denying the hosts a chance to get back into the game. Al Ittihad’s situation worsened late in the match after Bergwijn received a straight red card in the 85th minute, forcing his team to finish the game with ten men. With this defeat, Al Ittihad continue to drop points, significantly hurting their chances of competing for the league title, while Al Ettifaq secured a valuable victory that confirmed their superiority in the encounter.