Video: Abha punish Al-Ittihad in a match of fatal errors

The Doyen snatch a thrilling victory

Al-Ittihad dropped two precious points in the race for the top on Friday evening, held to a 1-1 draw by hosts Abha in the twelfth round of the Saudi Roshn Pro League. "The Dean" paid the price for their own mistakes.

Keen to pile pressure on the sides above them, Al-Ittihad went looking for all three points. They couldn't turn their superiority into a win, and Abha, struggling badly all season, pounced on the chance to snatch something from the game.

The draw lifts Al-Ittihad to 24 points in fourth. Abha move to three, still rooted to the bottom of the Roshn League table.

Early blow

Al-Ittihad's plans unravelled almost immediately. Colombian Richard Ríos limped off in the seventh minute after a strong challenge during a loose ball, an early blow the hosts could have done without.

Clearly struggling to walk, Ríos trudged off and left Jens Fießing to send on Ahmed Al-Ghamdi in his place. The timing stung, with the Asian clash against Al-Ain just around the corner.

Awar's disallowed goal adds to the frustration

Al-Ittihad's troubles ran deeper than the forced substitution. Houssem Aouar then had a goal chalked off, denying Jens Fischer's side the reward for their attacking work and piling on the frustration.

Danilo Pereira's handball cost them the goal. The Portugal international struck the ball first, before it dropped from the goalkeeper and fell back to Aouar.

Awar gives Al-Ittihad the lead: VAR intervenes again

Al-Ittihad came out for the second half with their foot on the gas, hunting for a way through the defensive block, and Houssem Aouar found it in the 52nd minute. He turned one of the attempts into the opener, finding the back of Abha's net to hand his side an advantage they hoped would settle the game early.

The lead only sharpened their appetite. Al-Ittihad pushed for a second but wasted the chances that would have killed the game off, prompting Vicente to shuffle his pack. On came Georges Eleninkina and Marwan Al-Sahafi for a couple of the attackers, the coach eyeing the spaces opening up as Abha committed men forward.

Then came the turning point. In the 82nd minute Al-Ittihad thought they had the second goal that would all but seal the three points, only for VAR to intervene and chalk it off. The gap stayed at a single goal, and Abha, suddenly reprieved, poured forward in search of a leveller.

Abha snatch a draw: Al-Ittihad drop two points

Abha sensed the result was still there for the taking and cranked up the pressure late on. Substitute Faisal Al-Subyani struck the equaliser in the 87th minute, pouncing on a quick counter-attack as Al-Ittihad's area was left without the cover it needed. The goal stunned the visitors and levelled the match once more.

Try as they might, Al-Ittihad could not reclaim the lead in the time that remained. They had to settle for a draw against the bottom side, dropping two points they badly needed to stay in touch with the teams above them. Abha, for their part, snatched a precious point, soaking up defensive punishment yet clinging to their chance until the final moments.