Al-Ittihad beats Al Raed and becomes Saudi champion
The Real Madrid legend has achieved his 36th career title and is now aiming for the double.
Karim Benzema wasn’t needed for Al Ittihad to claim the title. Without being in uniform, the Frenchman claimed his first title in Saudi Arabia after the Jeddah Tigers’ 3-1 victory over bottom club Al Raed .
Karim, who missed tonight’s game due to injury, secured his ninth league title . The Frenchman already had four Ligue 1 trophies with Lyon and four La Liga titles with Real Madrid . Now, the Saudi Arabian League has been added to the list of honours for the Real Madrid legend, who has returned to glory two years after leaving the ‘Casa Blanca’.
The match at King Abdullah Stadium was eventful from the start. Benzema’s absence was the first surprise of the night before Cameroonian center-back Oumar Gonzalez burst into the box and blasted the ball into the back of the net with a powerful shot in the ninth minute. But that wasn’t enough, as Al Ittihad suffered another blow on the pitch after goalkeeper Rajkovic was injured , forcing him to leave the field in the 17th minute.
But despite being hit with three cold showers in a matter of minutes, Al Ittihad found solace in the 21st minute through Bergwijn, who, following a precise pass from Al Aboud, appeared in the right place to equalize, and Danilo Pereira completed the comeback before halftime with a spectacular header. Al Aboud sealed Al Ittihad’s tenth title in the second half with a dramatic goal that was later confirmed by the video.
The Saudi Arabian League isn’t the only title Benzema could win this season. With their tenth league trophy already in their trophy cabinet, Al Ittihad now looks to the Copa del Rey final against Nacho’s Spanish side Al Qadsiah.
Benzema now has 36 titles, including four Ligue 1 trophies, four French Super Cups, one Coupe de France, four Liga titles with Real Madrid, five Champions League titles, three Copa del Rey titles, four Spanish Super Cups, four European Super Cups, five Club World Cups, one Nations League with France, and now the Saudi Arabian League with Al-Ittihad. The Cup could be number 37 in the French star’s trophy cabinet.
