Al-Ittihad claimed a hard-fought 2-1 win against Al-Riyadh in the Saudi Professional League on Thursday evening, extending their strong run of form despite a late scare.
The breakthrough came midway through the first half when French striker Karim Benzema capitalized on a defensive error by Moussa Diaby to slot home in the 24th minute.
The lead was doubled just before the interval in bizarre fashion, as Al-Riyadh defender Mohammed Al-Khaibari put the ball into his own net while attempting to clear a dangerous cross.
Al-Ittihad appeared to be cruising to a comfortable victory at the break, leading 2-0.
However, the second half saw Al-Riyadh fight back with renewed intensity.
Substitute Yahya Al-Shehri made an immediate impact after coming on, delivering a precise assist for Malian forward Mohamed Sylla to pull one back in the 77th minute.
Despite late pressure from the hosts and a string of substitutions from both sides, Al-Ittihad held firm to secure all three points.
The result keeps Laurent Blanc’s side in the upper echelons of the table, while Al-Riyadh remain rooted in a relegation battle.
Key Moments:
– 24’ – Karim Benzema opens the scoring (assist: Moussa Diaby)
– 42’ – Mohammed Al-Khaibari own goal doubles Al-Ittihad’s advantage
– 77’ – Mohamed Sylla pulls one back for Al-Riyadh (assist: Yahya Al-Shehri)
Al-Ittihad will look to build on this result in their next league fixture, while Al-Riyadh face an uphill task to climb away from the drop zone.
