French striker Karim Benzema’s injury-time strike secured Al-Ittihad a 2-2 draw against Al-Ahli in a thrilling derby clash in the 26th week of the Saudi Pro League on Saturday, keeping them atop the standings
Brazilian defender Roger Ibañez opened the scoring six minutes into the second half. However, French midfielder Moussa Diaby equalized for Al-Ittihad 15 minutes before the final whistle.
British striker Ivan Toney doubled Al-Ahli’s lead in the 82nd minute. Nevertheless, Benzema leveled the score in injury time, maintaining Al-Ittihad’s league summit with 62 points.
A Tight Contest
Both teams showed strong determination to win, creating a closely contested derby. They exchanged offensive attempts, but neither managed to create clear-cut opportunities.
However, Roger Ibañez broke the deadlock in the 51st minute, heading the ball into the goal after receiving a precise cross from Riyad Mahrez following a corner.
Al-Ittihad pressed forward to find an equalizer. They succeeded when Moussa Diaby scored in the 74th minute.
The French midfielder capitalized on a through ball from second-half substitute Saleh Al-Shehri, to struck the ball with a thunderous right-footed shot from close range into the goal’s center.
However, Al-Ahli responded quickly as Ivan Toney slotted the ball eight minutes later past second-half substitute keeper Hamed Al-Shanqiti from close range.
Al-Ittihad, the league leaders, kept searching for a second goal. Meanwhile, Al-Ahli’s fierce offense created dangerous scoring opportunities.
Benzema’s Heroics
Despite Al-Ittihad’s search for a second goal, Al-Ahli’s offense remained fierce. However, the Tigers found the leveler four minutes into injury time, Benzema received a through ball from Abdeulelah Al-Amri, slotting it past keeper Eduard Mendy into the top left corner.
Up next, Al-Ittihad will host Al-Orobah in the 27th week of the league on Thursday, while Al-Ahli will travel to Al-Raed on the same day.
