Al-Ittihad’s number five target slips away in Al-Kholood draw

Al-Ittihad were denied a place in club history after being held to a 1-1 draw by Al-Kholood in their opening Roshn Saudi League match.

The reigning challenge for a fifth consecutive opening-day victory ended at Alinma Stadium in Jeddah on Saturday, as Al-Ittihad failed to overcome their visitors in the first round of the competition.

According to statistics provider Opta, Al-Ittihad had been attempting to extend a run that had already seen them win the opening fixture in each of the previous four Roshn Saudi League seasons. A fifth successive victory would have been an unprecedented achievement in the club’s history, but the draw with Al-Kholood meant that target remained out of reach.

Al-Ittihad, known as “The Brigadier”, had equalled their best previous sequence of opening-match victories by winning the first game in the last four campaigns. Their earlier record had also been achieved twice during the professional era, with the most recent of those runs coming between 2013 and 2016.

The result also extended Al-Ittihad’s recent difficulties against Al-Kholood. The two sides have now met three times without an Al-Ittihad victory, with those matches consisting of two Roshn Saudi League fixtures and a King’s Cup semi-final.

Al-Ittihad’s task became more difficult when they were reduced to 10 players in the 58th minute. Portuguese defender Danilo Pereira was shown a straight red card after the referee reviewed an incident on the video assistant referee system and judged that he had kicked an Al-Kholood player while the ball was not in play.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Al-Ittihad avoided defeat, but the point was not enough to deliver the historic opening-day sequence they had been seeking.

The draw means the club’s previous four-season run remains the longest consecutive series of opening victories referred to in its professional-era record. Victory over Al-Kholood would have created a new benchmark by making it five wins in a row at the start of the Roshn Saudi League campaign.

Instead, Al-Kholood prevented Al-Ittihad from breaking that record and continued their unbeaten run in the recent head-to-head meetings between the teams. The Jeddah side must now look beyond the opening round after surrendering the chance to produce a landmark start to their league campaign.