Al-Ittihad are back in fourth place after two straight defeats, with Youssef En-Nesyri scoring twice late.
Al-Ittihad ended a run of two straight defeats with a 4-1 win over Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League on Tuesday, October 20, and Super Eagles striker George Ilenikhena was at the heart of it. He scored one goal, set up another and was named Man of the Match.
Ilenikhena broke the deadlock in the 16th minute. Colombian Richard Rios teed him up with a back-heel inside the box, and he lashed the ball home with his left foot. Al-Ettifaq hit back through Sultan Haroun in the 34th minute, poking the ball through the legs of Serbian goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic.
Houssem Aouar, the Algerian midfielder, restored Al-Ittihad's lead on 53 minutes, turning in Ilenikhena's low cross in front of an empty net.
Youssef En-Nesyri, the Moroccan striker, then took over. He came off the bench to make it 3-1 in the 80th minute, turning in a low cross from Muhannad Al-Shanqeeti. Five minutes later he planted a header past the keeper from Ahmed Al-Ghamdi's delivery to make it 4-1.
Ilenikhena had played 73 minutes before En-Nesyri replaced him. He told the Saudi press how the team had responded to its recent setbacks:
"It is very important to react, and we reacted in the best way, so we are very happy"
Reacting to his substitution, Ilenikhena stressed that every player had a responsibility to contribute, whatever their role. "The coach changed. Everybody will help the team in the best way he can. It is what we did today that we won," he added.
He had missed one of the defeats. He was unavailable for the 3-2 loss to Al-Hilal in the Saudi El Clasico on October 10 because of fitness concerns, and he returned from a minor injury for the 2-1 loss to Shabab Al-Ahli that followed.
This display kept his good form going, as he had either found the net or registered an assist in each of his last four Saudi Pro League appearances.
The win lifts Al-Ittihad to 20 points and fourth place, two clear of Al-Ahli, who slip to fifth. Al-Ettifaq suffered a third defeat of the season and stay on 15 points, down in eighth.
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