Ittihad continued its winning run in the Saudi Premier Soccer League by beating Najran 3-2 at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium here Wednesday. Mohammed Noor and Emad Meteb secured first half goals before defender Redda Tukar completed the tally from the spot after the break. Najran substitute Abdullah Haider and Brazilian Wilson Antonio reduced the margin to 2-3. The win helped Al-Ittihad go six points clear at the top with 22 points. Al-Hilal stays in the second spot. Najran remained in the ninth place with seven points. Al-Ittihad stormed the rival area from the beginning when the team's captain Mohammed Noor netted the first goal, just 41 seconds after the kick-off, thanks to Saleh Al-Saqri's cross. Despite the early goal, Najran managed to enjoy possession and started to threaten Ittihad, powered by good moves from its midfeilder Ali Al-Turki. In the 13th minute, Al-Turki almost scored the equalizer for Najran but his shot went just few inches of the left post of Al-Ittihad goalkeeper Mabrouk Zaid. Few seconds before the break, Egyptian international striker Emad Meteb doubled the home team's lead after he sent the ball to the left side of Ali Al-Amri. In the 63rd minute, defender Redha Tukar converted from the spot into the right side of helpless Al-Amri. Najran coach changed his strategies by fielding ace striker Al-Hassan Al-Yami who did a solo in the midfield before he sent the ball to unmarked Abdullah Haider who scored Najran's first goal in the 65th minute. Najran continued its efforts to reduce the margin while Al-Ittihad played on counter attacks. In the 82nd minute, Antonio pulled one goal back to make it 3-2 but Najran failed to complete the match on the same rhythm. Elsewhere in Tabuk, Al-Shabab won 2-0 over Al-Watani, thanks to Ahmed Atif and Nasser Al-Shamrani goals. The win took Al-Shabab to the fourth spot with 12 points while Tabuk's side remained last with one point. At the King Abdullah Sports City in Qassim, Al-Raed recorded its second straight win with a 3-1 decision against Abha. Bris Kabi took the lead for Al-Raed after seven minutes before Saleh Al-Mohammadi equalized for Abha after the break. Ahmed Al-Harbi regained the lead again in the 87th minute before Majed Al-Moulad sealed the win in the dying time. Al-Raed is now eighth on nine points and Abha is in the 11th spot with three points. __
