Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema both found the net during Al Ittihad’s Saudi Pro League showdown with Al Nassr on Friday. However, it was Benzema’s side that secured a late winner, claiming a 2-1 victory to boost their title aspirations. The triumph at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah marked Al Ittihad’s ninth consecutive league win, extending their lead at the top of the table to five points ahead of second-placed Al Hilal’s Saturday fixture.
Benzema opened the scoring in the 55th minute with his 10th goal in as many league games, only for Ronaldo to respond two minutes later with a precise strike past Predrag Rajkovic. The decisive moment came in stoppage time when Steven Bergwijn, formerly of Tottenham Hotspur, curled a stunning effort into the far corner to secure all three points for Al Ittihad.
Despite the loss, Ronaldo grabbed attention by stepping into a tense altercation involving former Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema. Moments after Ronaldo scored the equalizer for the visitors, Benzema confronted Otavio, prompting the Portuguese star to step in and defuse the situation.
Benzema was spotted gripping Otavio by the chin before Ronaldo stepped in, embracing Otavio and guiding him away. Moments later, Al-Ittihad’s Danilo Pereira appeared to tap Otavio on the face, leading to the latter dramatically falling to the ground. The ex-Manchester United forward was spotted whispering to his former teammate before guiding him away from the situation. His intervention seemed effective, as both players avoided ejections and were only issued yellow cards for the altercation.
Cristiano Ronaldo tranquilizando a Karim Benzema ❤️🩹 pic.twitter.com/XqNRDB6gLg
— MT2 (@madrid_total2) December 6, 2024
Ronaldo and Al-Nassr now face the challenge of bridging an 11-point deficit to claim his first title with Al-Nassr since joining the club early last year. Friday’s match marked the final fixture before the Saudi Pro League’s winter break, closing a prolific 2024 for Ronaldo, who netted 43 goals.
The game also evened the score in his head-to-head encounters with Benzema since their move to the Middle East. Their previous clash occurred on Boxing Day 2023 at Al-Ittihad’s Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium, where Ronaldo scored twice in a 5-2 victory. However, that win ultimately fell short of securing the championship for his team.
Al Nassr will take on Al Akhdoud in their upcoming match on January 9, while Al Ittihad is set to clash with Neymar’s Al Hilal in the King Cup of Champions quarterfinals on January 7.
Read More: FIFA Club World Draw: Real Madrid Drawn Against Al Hilal, Inter Milan to Face River Plate
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
