On Thursday evening, Karim Benzema made his first appearance in the Al-Ittihad jersey. It was against Espérance de Tunis in the Arab Club Champions Cup, and the French striker shone with an assist and a goal, leading his team to a 2-1 victory.
After a rich and impressive career at Real Madrid, Karim Benzema left the Merengue club this summer to join Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, the reigning champions of the Saudi Pro League. The former French international made his debut on Thursday evening with his new team in the Arab Club Champions Cup. Already in top form, El Nueve guided his team to a 2-1 victory.
At the King Fahd Stadium in the capital, it was Espérance Sportive de Tunis, three-time winners of this competition, who opened the scoring with a superb volley from Oussama Bouguerra (0-1, 26th minute). The Ballon d’Or 2022 winner then stepped in to spark the Club du peuple’s comeback. After the half-hour mark, he made a decisive contribution, providing a lovely ball to Hamed-Allah, who slotted it home in the penalty area to level the score (1-1, 35th minute).
Showing great movement on the field, as he was accustomed to doing at Real Madrid, Karim Benzema sealed the fate of the match in the 55th minute. On the left flank, the Lyon-born player advanced towards the danger zone before executing a perfect curling shot to beat the opposing goalkeeper (2-1, 55th minute). The match ended with this score and a victory for Al-Ittihad in the first round of the Arab Club Champions Cup in Group A.
A perfect debut for Karim Benzema, who left the field to applause from his new fans in the Riyadh arena. Like Cristiano Ronaldo before him, El Nueve is set to conquer Saudi Arabia as well.
