By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – Al-Ittihad stormed into the AFC Champions League final after defeating Nagoya Grampus Eight of Japan 2-1 in the second leg at Mizuho Athletic Stadium Wednesday.Al-Ittihad, former champion in 2004 and 2005, made it an 8-2 aggregate win as it had routed the Japanese 6-2 in the first in Riyadh last week.Al Ittihad will face South Korean club Pohang Steelers in the final on Nov. 7 in Tokyo. Pohang beat Qatar’s Umm-Salal 2-1 in Doha, 4-1 on aggregate.Defender Saleh Al-Saqri put Al-Ittihad in the lead in the 42nd minute before the Tunisian striker Amin Al-Chermiti sealed the win in the 59th minute. The only Japanese goal came through Kenyu Sugimoto in the 67th minute.Nagoya started the match pressing Al-Ittihad which relied on counter attacks. Both teams spoiled several real chances to score. Thanks to the goalkeepers of the two sides. Al-Ittihad defender Saud Kariri sounded the first warning in the 22nd minute through a long kick. The Nagoya keeper came at the right time to send it out. Amin Al-Chermiti lost a chance in the 31st minute when he was on one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper. Chermiti shot straight into the goalkeeper. One minute later, Nagoya’s Australian striker Kennedy missed a goal.Though the Ittihad skipper Mohammed Noor did not score, his killing passes gave Al-Ittihad the win. Noor received a right cross from Rashed Al-Raheed and the captian tried to play it with his heel. The ball bounced at the goalkeeper to find Saleh Al-Saqri who applied the finishing touches, five minutes before the break. In the second half, the Serbian coach Dragon Stojkovic replaced striker Yuki Maki with midfielder Naoshi Nakamura. A few minuets later, Dragon brought Kenyu Sugimoto in.Kennedy faced Al-Ittihad goalkeeper, Mabrouk Za’id, in the 48th minute only to find a brave Za’id blocking it.In the 59th minute, Noor sent a high cross to Amine Al-Chermiti. With only one defender in the area, Chermiti headed the ball into the goal.Sugimoto produced a stunning goal in the 67th minute. With his back to Al-Ittihad net, Sugimoto received a cross on his chest and double-kicked into the net. Al-Ittihad goalkeeper could do nothing but watch how beautiful the goal was. - SG
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