Qahtani handed Al-Hilal the first Saudi Premier League crown when he scored the lone goal of the match against Al-Ittihad at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium here, Sunday. Hilal claimed the newly instituted cup by finishing on top of the standings table at the end of the race. Al-Ittihad controlled the match during the first half of the match, but neither of its star players Al-Hassane Keita or Elvis Magno were able to find the goal. Entering into the match with the knowledge that a draw would secure the Yellows the title, Ittihad's Brazilian coach Suarez seemed to have told his players to attack from the word go, hoping that a goal in the first half would end the Blues' hopes. Al-Hilal's first-half display disappointed its fans. The only players who helped their side keep the Ittihad attackers away were the keeper, Mohammed Al-Deayea, the Brazilian defender, Tavaris, and the Libyan midfielder, Tariq Al-Taib. Deayea was Al-Hilal's trump card and proved the wall the Ittihad players failed to scale. They used all possible ways and means to do so, but the Italian referee was vigilant all the time. Al-Hilal players were brilliantly checked by Al-Ittihad players in the first half. Leelo and Yasser Al-Qahtani were in fact made to look harmless. The only real chance that came Ittihad's way in the first half was when Magno was timely checked by Tavares in the 41st minute. Al-Hilal coach replaced Leelo with Ahmed Al-Firaidi in the beginning of the second half. Firaidi made his appearance felt soon thereafter when he gave a high pass to Qahtani, who headed it into the left corner of Al-Ittihad keeper Tayseer Al-Nitaif. Qahtani's goal breathed life into the Blues. They looked organized and a spirited lot. Al-Ittihad coach Suarez first brought in Abdul-Rahman Al-Qahtani in Manaf Abu Shugair's place and then moved striker Talal Al-Misha'al into Ahmed Al-Doukhi's (right defender) place. On the other side the Romanian coach Kozmen replaced Taib with Nawaf Al-Timyat fearing that the Libyan might get another yellow card. Deayea was again in the midst of action when he made two brilliant stops in the 66th minute. First he bravely blocked Keita's header with his leg six yards from the goal line. Seconds later he blocked Abdul Rahman Al-Qahtani's shot with his right arm. Al-Hilal played the last 10 minutes in the middle trying to kill time. The trophy will be handed to Al-Hilal at the conclusion of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques's Cup competition, which will start in May. Al-Hilal, the Premier League champion, and Al-Nasr, the Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Cup holder, will be joined by six other teams in the competition. In other Premier League matches Sunday: Al-Shabab routed Al-Watani 6-0; Al-Ettifaq blanked Al-Nasr 3-0; Al-Qadasiya drew 1-1 with Al-Ahli; Al-Hazm defeated Al-Tai 2-1; and Najran beat Al-Wehda 3-1. __
