The reunion between Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo kept its promises on Friday evening. The Al-Ittihad of “KB9” received the Al-Nassr of “CR7” for a major shock in the title race in the incredible King Abdallah Stadium and the team led by Laurent Blanc, leader of the Saudi Pro League, snatched a precious victory against the Portuguese idol (2-1). Al-Nassr finds himself dropped 11 points behind his evening opponent and Ronaldo’s future will be talked about a lot in the coming days.
Ronaldo, 39, has in fact left to continue a third Saudi season without a major title. A departure at the end of his contract in June 2025 but also a transfer from the winter transfer window have already been mentioned by certain media on site. The five-time Ballon d’Or could join another juggernaut in the Kingdom (four clubs are boosted by the sovereign fund) and it has already been announced to Al-Hilal, the all-powerful reigning champion and future participant in the Club World Cup (June 15-July 13).
Ronaldo responds to Benzema
The two Ballons d’Or formerly associated with Real Madrid were present during this meeting by shaking the nets for the 10th time of their season. Benzema opened the scoring with a cross from his right-back teammate, Muhannad Al Shanqiti (55th), with Moussa Diaby missing due to injury to make the difference on the right wing. Ronaldo equalized straight away on a cross from former Strasbourg player Angelo (57th).
Both teams then had opportunities to win, but Sadio Mané lacked genius in his provocations with the ball at his feet and Al-Ittihad finally snatched the three points on an individual action from Steven Bergwijn, who deceived Bento to a sharp point in added time (91st). A brilliant outcome for the locals and dramatic for visitors from the capital Riyadh.
