It was a mixed day for the Jeddah giants on the opening day of the AFC Champions League. While Brazilian Magno Alves handed Kingdom's Premier League leader Al-Ittihad a 1-0 victory over Kuruvchi of Uzbekistan at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah, city rival Al-Ahli lost 2-1 to Al-Sadd of Qatar in Doha. The second half goal earned the two-time winner Ittihad a clear three points to stay second in Group A to a one goal difference of Al-Ittihad of Syria which edged Sepahan of Iran 2-0 in Aleppo. On an away encounter Al-Ahli failed to make a mark in its second appearance in the regional competition when it lost to a tough Al-Sadd. In Jeddah, Al-Ittihad goalkeeper Taiser Al-Netaif was the man of the game as he saved his side from several rival attacks in the second half. Al-Ittihad had the upper hand in the first half but the team failed to find the target, thanks to the defending formation of the visitors. Al-Ittihad strikers were well marked by Uzbeks who cleared the ball to safety before reaching the box. In the 18th minute, Brazilian Tcheco had the first real threat when he blasted a 20-yard shot over the bar. The only chance for Kuruvchi was in the 38th minute when Victor Karpenko faced an advanced goalkeeper but he sent the ball wide. After the break, Al-Ittihad faced unexpected attack from the Uzbeks who pressed forward with two strikers, assisted with five players in the midfield. In the 66th minute, substitute Rashdijon Gofurov shot powerfully from inside the box but Al-Netaif stood in his way. Ten minutes from the game, Alves, who joined Al-Ittihad from the J-League, found the top left corner of the net that killed the Uzbeks efforts. In Doha, the ten-man Al-Ahli suffered defeat at the hands of Al-Sadd. The 29-year-old Emerson gave the Qataris the lead in the third minute, stealing the ball from Jufain Ali and beating goalkeeper Yasser Abdullah. Twenty-one minutes later Felipe doubled the lead, converting a nearly 40-meter free kick when the Al-Ahli goalkeeper fumbled with the ball. Al-Ahli reduced the deficit in the 74th minute through Osvaldo Felix header. Al-Ahli will next face Al-Karama of Syria, which topped the group after a 4-1 victory over UAE's Al-Wehdah. Al-Ittihad travels to Aleppo on March 19 to play Al-Ittihad of Syria. In other matches, Japan's Kashima Antlers beat Krung Thai Bank 9-1; Syria's Al-Ittihad upset Sepahan 2-0; Saipa drew at Al-Kuwait 1-1; Iraq's Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya edged Emirates' Al-Wasl 1-0; Kuwait's Al-Qadisiya beat Uzbekistan's Pakhtakor 1-0; Iraq's Arbil and Qatar's Al-Gharafa played to a 1-1 draw. __
