After a difficult start to the year, Karim Benzema ended up giving Al-Ittihad victory against Al-Wehda (2-1) on Monday evening by delivering a superb assist.
And suddenly, a smile appeared on Karim Benzema’s face. The Frenchman offered himself a moment of pleasure, Monday evening with Al-Ittihad, at the same time as a nice answer to the doubts and questions concerning him. After a solitary raid, the former Real Madrid player delivered a decisive ball for his teammate Abderrazzaq Hamdallah, scorer of the winning goal in added time.
This should do good for Benzema, who is going through a difficult period. The end of 2023 was marked by a revolt against him, and major doubts about his future, with even a temporary sidelining following his late return from vacation. For his resumption, the 2022 Ballon d’Or even scored… against his side. And this match against Al-Wehda started badly, with a goal disallowed for a foul during the action, and above all a missed penalty.
“Karim is a great player”
In the second half, everything changed for Al-Ittihad. Benzema let his attacking partner Hamdallah score the equalizing penalty, then he offered the Moroccan international the winning goal with this decisive action on the left side of the penalty area. “Karim is a great player, Hamdallah said. He brings us a lot with his experience. I expected him to give me that assist, and I was right. We managed to score this goal. »
After the final whistle, Benzema went to celebrate his victories with the supporters of his club, considered the most popular in Saudi Arabia. Fifth in its championship, Al-Ittihad is entering a crucial period including three shocks against Al-Hilal. The first Friday in the league, against the leader of the ranking, and the following two in the quarter-finals of the Asian Champions League, on March 5 and 12. If Benzema definitely wants to be forgiven, he knows what to do…
