Benzema scored 3 consecutive matches for Al Ittihad
After the first two rounds, Al Ittihad definitely went on and only needed one point before Al Shorta in the last round to win the top of Group A Arab Club Champions Cup. Therefore, Benzema was a substitute and only played for more than 20 minutes in the last match at King Fahd Stadium.
Defender Ahmed Bamsaud put Al Ittihad ahead after 36 minutes, then Abdoul Madjid Moumouni equalized after 80 minutes. Four minutes later, Al Ittihad received a penalty and Benzema did not miss an opportunity. On the 11m mark, the French striker sank to the left corner, against the direction of goalkeeper Al Shorta's judgment, setting a 2-1 victory.
Benzema's goal helps Al Ittihad get 9 absolute points, go on to the top of Group A and will meet Al Hilal - the second team of Group B - in the quarterfinals on August 5. Despite the defeat, Al Shorta still continues with the second place in Group A and will meet Qatar's club, Al Sadd in the next round.
Benzema scored in all three Arab Club Champions Cup group stage matches. In the opening leg, the 35-year-old striker assisted Abderrazak Hamdallah to score, then cut a beautiful heart from outside the penalty area to seal a 2-1 victory over Esperance De Tunis.
In the next round against Club Sfaxien, Benzema continued to shine when he scored the only goal. In the 63rd minute, receiving the ball from his teammates, the French striker controlled one-touch and then crossed the corner to smash the column into the net, causing the opponent's goalkeeper to stay rooted.
In June, Benzema liquidated his contract with Real a year early to join Al Ittihad on a free transfer. The 2022 Golden Ball earns a salary of 200 million USD, like Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr. This summer, Al Ittihad also recruited Fabinho from Liverpool, N'golo Kante from Chelsea and Jota from Celtic.
Last season, Al Ittihad won the Saudi Pro League with 72 points, five points ahead of Al Nassr. Coach Nuno Santo's team also won the Saudi Super Cup, defeating Al Nassr 3-1 in the semi-finals and Al Fayha 2-0 in the final.
Arab Club Champions Cup is a tournament between clubs in the Arab world, consisting of 16 teams and similar in format to the Champions League. Al Nassr also participated in this tournament, when in Group D with other Saudi Arabian clubs, Al Shabab, Zamalek (Egypt) and Union Monastirienne (Tunisia). Ronaldo and his teammates currently lead the table with four points, and will meet Zamalek in the last round today 3/8.
