Al-Hazem 1-1 Al-Ittihad: Late Dhuwayhi Equaliser Extends Away Day Struggles

Al-Ittihad lost further ground in the Saudi Pro League top-three race after being held 1-1 by Al-Hazem, with Abdulaziz Al Dhuwayhi’s 84th-minute equaliser cancelling out Roger Fernandes’ late strike and extending a poor away sequence that is damaging the champions’ title defence.

The draw at Ar-Rass Stadium on Tuesday leaves Sergio Conceicao’s team 17 points adrift of leaders Al-Ahli, underlining how their Pro League crown is slipping away, while Al-Hazem collected another valuable point in the fight to stay clear of the relegation places.

Al-Ittihad appeared to have secured victory with 10 minutes left when Fernandes collected the ball just outside the penalty area, shifted onto the left foot and drilled a precise effort into the top-right corner, but Al-Hazem responded almost immediately to frustrate the visitors.

Parity was restored on 84 minutes as Al Dhuwayhi reacted inside the box and tucked the ball past Predrag Rajkovic, yet Al-Ittihad still nearly stole all three points when Fabinho sent a long pass over the defence for Steven Bergwijn, whose chest control and volley hit only the side netting.

This result extends Al-Ittihad’s run without an away league win to six matches, with four draws and two defeats, marking their longest such sequence on the road in the Pro League since the eight-match spell between February and November 2018, which produced one draw and seven losses.

Al-Ittihad’s display again highlighted issues away from home, as the team failed to create many clear chances and rarely sustained pressure, a concern for a side attempting to secure at least a top-three finish despite their title hopes fading fast.

Al-Hazem started far stronger, immediately unsettling Al-Ittihad as Youssouf Oumarou drew two early saves from Rajkovic and Ahmed Al Nakhli shot narrowly wide, while the visitors did not record a shot on target until the 47th minute, when captain Ibrahim Zaied denied both Bergwijn and Moussa Diaby.

Statistically, Al-Ittihad were fortunate to escape with a point, generating an expected goals figure of only 0.75 from 10 attempts, three on target, compared with Al-Hazem’s 1.07 xG from 13 shots, reflecting the hosts’ greater threat across most of the contest.

For Al-Hazem, the draw added more breathing space above the relegation zone and continued an impressive pattern of recoveries, with the team now collecting 15 points from losing positions in this Pro League campaign, a figure bettered only by Al Hilal, who have recovered 20.

The match also formed part of a demanding spell for Al-Ittihad, whose away form is undermining domestic ambitions, while Al-Hazem’s resilience and capacity to respond after falling behind again delivered a useful result that fits their survival push.

The 1-1 draw therefore encapsulated both teams’ seasons so far, with Al-Ittihad again dropping points on their travels during a fading title defence, and Al-Hazem once more showing the ability to respond from behind and gain important survival points in the Saudi Pro League.