Al Ittihad 6-2 Nagoya Grampus: Hosts Run Riot After Second Half Goal Glut

Al Ittihad have one foot in the final of the Asian Champions League after thrashing Nagoya Grampus 6-2 at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium.

Mohammed Noor grabbed a hat-trick for the hosts while Ahmed Hadid, Luciano Leguizamon and Amine Chermeti also struck for the Saudis. Josh Kennedy and Naoshi Nakamura scored for the visitors.

As if the tie wasn't difficult enough, Nagoya shot themselves in the foot when Akira Takeuchi clipped Chermiti's heels just outside the penalty area and, as the last man, was sent off after only seven minutes.

However, they amazingly took the lead in the 14th minute. Hayuma Tanaka crossed for Kennedy to rise above his marker and head home.

Their lead didn't last long, as the Saudis were level in the 25th minute. Noor sent a low ball into the area that Hadid controlled with ease before striking a right-foot shot into the bottom corner.

Nagoya were not going to make things easy for Al Ittihad, however, and retook the lead just after the half hour mark. Nakamura held off the challenge of Saleh Al Saqri to turn and shoot past Mabrouk Zaid.

The visitors held onto their lead until the second half, but were coming under increasing pressure from the Saudi giants. Manaf Aboshgair and Luciano both came close for Al Ittihad, while Chermiti missed a gaping goal from close range after Noor's shot came back off the post.

The Saudis were not to be denied a victory, and proceeded to score five goals in under half an hour. In the 66th minute, Chermiti headed Rashed Al Rahab's cross back across goal for Noor to head home from close range.

They gained the lead for the first time in the 76th minute when Noor lashed in the rebound after his initial effort had been blocked. The lead was extended from the penalty spot after Koichi Hirono was harshly adjudged to have brought down Leguizamon, who tucked home the spot kick.

As the game went into injury time, Noor completed his hat-trick by heading home the rebound from a prone position after his first shot hit the post. There was still time for Chermiti to latch onto a through ball ahead of Hirono and tuck the ball into an empty net.

The result all but guarantees Al Ittihad's place in the final, barring a spectacular comeback in the second leg from the Japanese side.

Anthony Wright, Goal.com