How Ettifaq Plotted Victory: Tactics Behind the 1-0 Upset over Al-Ittihad
16 January 2026
How Ettifaq secured the win
Saeed Al-Shehri, head coach of Ettifaq, explained the secret that led to victory over Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League.
Ettifaq beat the visitors 1-0 on Friday, at the Al-Enmaa Stadium, in the 16th round of the league.
In post-match remarks at the press conference, quoted by Asharq Al-Awsat, the coach said: "The match scenario was clear, and we had no option but to play this way against a team with strong attacking threats."
He added that they knew the opponent’s strength on the right flank and worked hard to close that area, achieving a hard-earned win in a tough venue.
The coach noted the positive reaction of the players after the recent loss to Gulf, saying everyone wanted to face Al-Ittihad, and that while some players were unavailable, the squad remains trusted.
If you want to beat a team like Al-Ittihad, you must be both individually and collectively at the highest level, and we must keep going.
Regarding Al-Ittihad’s 5 crosses from 39 chances, he responded: "When you play big teams, crosses are always part of the game."
He concluded that they tried to prevent it, but against quality like that one must be organized, position well, and play better to avoid these situations in the future.
This defeat was the first for Al-Ittihad in the current Saudi season, roughly 70 days, specifically since the 0-1 loss to Al-Ahli on November 8.
Punchline 1: If strategy were a weapon, Ettifaq just fired a precise shot and walked away with a grin.
Punchline 2: Al-Ittihad’s crosses looked for the goal from far away—even the wind had a better plan that day.
