Benzem could not save Al Ittihad

Saudi Arabia's Karim Benzema scored with a backheel but Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a hat-trick, helping Al Hilal defeat Al Ittihad 4-3 in Round 5 of the Saudi Pro League.

The new stars who arrived from Europe all shone, giving football fans in Saudi Arabia a spectacular match.

As the defending champions and playing at home, Al Ittihad started better and took the lead thanks to a goal from Romarinho.

However, receiving a cross from Saud Abdulhamid, Mitrovic volleyed skillfully with a one-touch shot to equalize for Al Hilal. Nearly 20 minutes later, Benzema made his mark with a clever run to receive a cross from Ahmed Bamsaud. His backheel touch wasn't powerful, but it was unexpected enough to leave goalkeeper Bono picking the ball out of the net for the second time.

Benzema scored, but it couldn't prevent Al Ittihad from suffering a defeat. Photo: Al Ittihad FC

In the eighth minute of added time in the first half, Abderazak Hamdallah extended the lead for the home team. A pass from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic gifted the Al Ittihad striker an opportunity, and Hamdallah didn't miss, unlike his earlier miss. In the stands, Al Ittihad fans were thrilled at the prospect of their team winning their fifth consecutive match.

However, the second half was completely under the control of the visiting team. Mitrovic proved he was the brightest star on the field in this match, not Benzema. In the 60th minute, the Serbian striker left goalkeeper Marcelo Grohe helpless with a close-range header, before pouncing on the rebound to score.

Five minutes later, when Al Hilal were awarded a penalty, Mitrovic deceived Grohe to equalize for the visitors. The former Fulham striker completed his superb performance in the 71st minute. With his exceptional heading skills, he set up Salem Al Dawsari to tap the ball in from close range, giving Al Hilal the lead for the first time.

With nearly 20 minutes remaining, plus 12 minutes of added time, Al Ittihad were unable to break down the opposing defense once more and suffered a defeat at home. Their best chance came when Benzema played a through pass to Muhannad Shanqeeti, but the substitute midfielder couldn't beat Bono in a one-on-one situation.

The victory allowed Al Hilal to overtake their rivals and claim the top spot with 13 points after four wins and one draw. Before this round, Al Ittihad was one of only two teams with a perfect winning record, along with Al Ahli, but this result puts them at risk of dropping to fourth place.

Vinh San

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