JEDDAH: Al-Ittihad beat Al-Shorta 4-1 on Monday to claim their first win in the AFC Champions League this season, and also hand new coach Sergio Conceicao a welcome first victory in his second game since taking over from sacked Laurent Blanc on Oct. 7.
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The pressure was on the 2004 and 2005 continental champions, who had lost their first two group games, prior to Conceicao’s arrival, and it looked like they were in for another tough night in Baghdad against an Iraqi side who caused problems for their visitors throughout.
In fact, Al-Ittihad found themselves trailing after only five minutes, when Bassam Shakir put the hosts ahead to send the home fans wild. The midfielder reacted quickly at the far post to head home Mehdi Ashabi’s flick-on from a right-sided corner.
The Tigers were back on level terms just 12 minutes later, however, after Mahamadou Doumbia robbed an opponent of possession and chipped a smart cross toward Moussa Diaby, who headed home.
