Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema scored an excellent goal and assist in his debut match for Al Ittihad (Saudi Arabia).
Al Ittihad defeated ES Tunis (Tunisia) 2-1 in the first match of Group A of the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup group stage held at Kingfahid Stadium in Taif, Saudi Arabia on the 28th (Korean time).안전놀이터
Al Ittihad was dragged away by conceding a goal in the middle of the first half. It was freshman Benzema who saved a team that could have fallen into a pit. In the 35th minute of the first half, Benzema led the opposition defense and connected a cross to the goal to help Abderazak Hamdala’s header goal. It was the first attack point recorded by Benzema in an Al Ittihad uniform.
Benzema was also the solver for Al Ittihad, who faced the second half after returning to the starting point. Benzema, who adjusted the score with an assist, shook the net in the 10th minute of the second half by kicking his right foot towards the far goal post from the left side of the penalty box. Benzema’s unique shooting ability, which was overflowing with accuracy in Europe, was well demonstrated.
Benzema showed off his skills from day one in the Al Ittihad shirt. It showed why Saudi Arabia, which attracts superstars, chose Benzema and promised him an annual salary of 200 million euros (about 281.5 billion won) over two years. Since it was his debut match, he played 70 extra lightly, but with one goal and one assist, he was poised to bomb the Saudi Arabia League.
Benzema terminated his contract with Real Madrid earlier this month and joined forces with Al Ittihad. It was a card taken out to fight against rival clubs, including Ronaldo. With the addition of Ballon d’Or winner Benzema, Al Ittihad heated up. About 60,000 fans came to his initiation ceremony and did not hide their expectations.
Benzema immediately fulfilled the wishes of the Saudi Arabian fans. In his debut game, he was responsible for goals and assists at the same time, showing his reputation well. Spanish media ‘As’, who watched Benzema’s performance, said, “It was a dream debut. When he was replaced in the 25th minute of the second half, the Al Ittihad fans applauded for several minutes.” In the second half when Kante was put in, he seemed more free,” hinting at a better future.