Al-Ittihad Extend Winning Streak to Eight Matches With 4-Goal Away Win Against Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq
Al-Ittihad tightened their grip on the Saudi Pro League summit with an emphatic 4-0 triumph against Al-Ettifaq on Saturday to maintain their two-point lead at the top of the table.
A returning Karim Benzema thought he’d scored in the 27th minute, but it was ruled out for offside. Moments later, the one-time Ballon d’Or holder set up N’Golo Kanté, who slotted it home to put the visitors ahead of hosts, Al-Ettifaq.
The rest of the first half was uneventful, and once the second half started, Karim Benzema marked his return from injury with a goal in the 53rd minute. Houssem Aouar created a chance for Steven Bergwijn who saw his shot saved, but in true number nine fashion, Benzema was there to tap in for the second goal of the match.
Thirteen minutes later, the trio were combined once again; Benzema passed the ball across the pitch to Bergwijn, who set up Aouar to score the game’s third goal. This was Aouar’s 7th hit in his first Saudi Pro League season.
Four minutes later, team captain Benzema was once again the creator, setting up Bergwijn, who sweetly hit the ball with the outside of his boot to make it 0-4. The result saw Steven Gerrard’s fall further down from 12th to 13th on the standings. Al-Ittihad maintain their grip at the top of the table with 33 points, two ahead of Al-Hilal, who face 3rd placed Al-Nassr in their next match.
