The league leaders beat Al-Ettifaq, with the former Lazio also scoring. The French team’s Al Ittihad also wins but doesn’t come out of the bad moment. Two goals disallowed then the winning assist at the end
Total crisis for Benzema, Al Ittihad is saved by Hamdallah. Against Al Wehda, Marcelo Gallardo’s team won 2-1 in a comeback, achieving their third consecutive victory in the championship, but had to deal with the Frenchman’s metamorphosis. The former Madrid player, after his own goal in the last Asian Champions League match, missed a penalty and had two goals disallowed. On the other hand, he made up for it in the 94th minute by providing the assist for Hamdallah’s winning goal, which eight minutes earlier had equalized from a penalty, awarded by his teammate, after Ighalo’s opener in the first half. Fourteenth consecutive success in the Saudi League for Al Hilal, winning against Gerrard 2-0. It was the goals from Milinkovic-Savic and Al Dawsari at the end of the first half that knocked out Al Ettifaq, courageous but imprecise.
Al Ettifaq – Al Hilal 0-2
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Whether it’s at home or outside, it makes no difference. Jesus’ Al Hilal is a shredding machine and once again shows its strength against a worthy opponent, full of stars (Dembele, Toko Ekambi, Wijnaldum, Seko Fofana) and well placed on the pitch. Gerrard’s team starts better, is confident and creates dangers on the left chain with Gray who immediately finishes. In Al Hilal Mitrovic disguises himself as a finisher, Milinkovic as a killer: in the 39th minute it is the former Lazio player who breaks the deadlock with a header from a corner. Up to that point Koulibaly and his teammates had created very little. Al Ettifaq’s enthusiasm, intense and more dangerous with shots from outside, dies down in the ten minutes of injury time granted before the break: Mitrovic invents a spatial assist from the outside which sends Al Dawsari towards goal on the left, skilled in skip the direct opponent and deposit under the legs of the goalkeeper. Second half in which Al Hilal lets the technical rate prevail, manages without sinking and contains the opponent’s initiatives well. First place secured with 59 points, plus seven from Ronaldo, and 27th victory in all competitions. For Koulibaly and his teammates, an already extraordinary season.
Al Ittihad – Al Wehda 2-1
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Up until the 86th minute it was a haunted match for Al Ittihad. More than 20 shots taken, two goals disallowed, a missed penalty, Benzema’s continued abstinence (he hasn’t scored in the Saudi League since November 30) and a hoax that was taking on increasingly evident contours. However, it was Hamdallah who turned into the hero of the evening, scoring a brace in eight minutes to overturn the initial lead of the former Udinese player Ighalo, who arrived half an hour into the first half after a nice set-piece move. A dull performance for Benzema, despite the great play at the end which allowed his teammate to score the decisive goal. Although he has denied the rumors of his possible farewell, the Frenchman has not yet fully recovered and the bad penalty taken at 0-1 in the first half injury time testifies to this. In fact, in the 86th minute, Al Ittihad won a second penalty, with Benzema leaving the task to Hamdallah, who was glacial with the dig to equalize. Fifth goal in the last three of the Saudi League for the number 99. Gallardo’s team then finished with ten men due to the expulsion of Al Mosa.
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