Karim Benzema’s 1-0 Al-Ittihad suffered another blow in their Saudi Pro League title defense by losing 1-0 to Al-Shabab on Friday.
Al-Ittihad missed an early goal from Carlos Junior, despite having possession of the ball for most of the first half.
As time expired, Yannick Carrasco was awarded a penalty by the referee, giving Al-Shabab the opportunity to widen the gap. After a review by the VAR, the decision was overturned. Although Al-Ittihad performed better in the second half, they failed to equalize. Towards the end, Romarinho looked to have found the net, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
Al-Ittihad therefore remains on a series of five matches without a victory. With 21 points in 12 matches, the reigning champion finds himself 11 points behind leader Al-Hilal, who won on Friday.
Al-Ittihad and Benzema will return on Monday, November 6 to face Iraqi club Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya in the AFC Champions League.
