JEDDAH: Karim Benzema grabbed the headlines on Friday but Al-Ittihad and Al-Taawoun shared the points with a 1-1 draw in this top of-the-table clash in the Roshn Saudi League.
The French striker guarantees goals wherever he goes and did just that in Buraidah, though perhaps not quite in the way that many expected as he netted for both teams.
Going into the game, the defending champions were fourth, two points behind Al-Taawoun in the standings and looking to bounce back from a blip in form that had seen a draw with Al-Fayha followed by a derby loss to Jeddah rivals Al-Ahli.
Ittihad took the lead midway through the first half.
It was made by Igor Coronado. The Brazilian was galloping down the right, had one look into a crowded penalty area and then picked out Benzema with a perfect cross and the current holder of the FIFA Ballon D’Or made it look easy — though it was far from it — to climb and head the ball home from close range for his fourth of the season in his eighth league appearance.
It was a welcome strike for Benzema as it was his first for more than a month, though injury has played a part, and also for Ittihad who had failed to find the net in their two previous league outings. Talk of a goal drought that was beginning to materialize has been put to bed.
After a bright start from Al-Taawoun, who would have gone top above Al-Hilal with victory as they had collected an impressive 22 points from the first nine games of the season, it quietened the fans but they were on their feet after 26 minutes.
There didn’t seem to be much danger when Alvaro Medran floated over a corner but there was Benzema, rising at the near post to head into his own net past the despairing dive of Marcelo Grohe.
The two goals reflected a finely balanced contest but the headlines very nearly went elsewhere as, on the stroke of half-time, Musa Barrow almost scored one of the goals of the season. The Gambian goal-getter was fully 35 meters from goal when he unleashed an unstoppable shot that beat Grohe but cannoned back off the crossbar. It would have been a spectacular strike and he was to hit the woodwork again in the second half.
After the restart, the game ebbed and flowed and both teams looked to turn one point into three. Brazilian goalkeepers Grohe and Mailson both played their part in ensuring that it ended all square.
It was a fitting scoreline and while it means that Ittihad have now not won in their past three league games, coach Nuno Santo should not be too disappointed at taking a point from a team that had won their previous eight league games at home. These days, a draw in Buraidah is a fine result indeed.
And the hosts have shown once again that they can go toe-to-toe with the big boys. After the 2-0 win at Al-Nassr early in the season, Taawoun coach Pericles Chamusca was disappointed to lose an exciting game to Al-Ahli 3-2. It remains the only loss so far in this campaign.
Last season the team were capable of beating any other in the league but a lack of consistency meant a fifth-place finish. At the moment, however, they are picking up regular points and increasingly look like a force to be reckoned with as does Karim Benzema — at both ends of the pitch.
Karim Benzema scores both goals as Al-Ittihad and Al-Taawoun share spoils in SPL clash
https://arab.news/8c53v
Karim Benzema scores both goals as Al-Ittihad and Al-Taawoun share spoils in SPL clash
- The French striker guarantees goals wherever he goes and did just that in Buraidah
- Going into the game, the defending champions were fourth, two points behind Al-Taawoun in the standings
From Riyadh to Toronto: World Cup diplomacy in motion
- FIFA World Cup can help drive Saudi-Canadian relations, ambassador says
- Canada ready to ‘welcome the world,’ Jean-Philippe Linteau says
RIYADH: As Canada prepares to co-host the FIFA World Cup, its ambassador to Saudi Arabia says the tournament will not only be a celebration of football but also a platform to deepen ties between Ottawa and Riyadh.
“It’s such an honor for Canada to be the host this year of the FIFA World Cup with our friends from the United States and Mexico,” Jean-Philippe Linteau told Arab News.
“The World Cup is the most important sporting event in the world.”
Canada hosted the women’s World Cup in 2015 and now turns its attention to the men’s competition, highlighting what the envoy described as its growing footprint in global football.
“Canada is already one of the world’s most open countries. We welcome the world. Our population is multicultural. You come to Canada, you find a whole world among Canadians,” he said.
“Hosting this event is just a natural extension of our welcoming nature.”
Linteau said fans traveling to Canada would enjoy a safe and fun experience and that the tournament would continue to promote the country long after the final whistle.
“We hope that the world will come to Canada … and continue to come for years after that because it’s a great way to showcase our country and everything we have to offer.”
The ambassador praised the Kingdom’s growing role in international sport and its transformation under Vision 2030.
“Saudi Arabia is not just influential in global football. I would say in global sports in general, including esports. What the Kingdom has done has been noticed all over the world,” he said.
Linteau said he remembered when Erin Routliffe and Gaby Dabrowski won the women’s tennis doubles title at the WTA Finals in 2024.
“I was very proud to be here in Riyadh for that,” he said, describing the event as an example of Saudi Arabia’s ambition to become a global sports hub.
He also congratulated the Saudi football team on qualifying for the World Cup and expressed hope that the two nations might meet later in the tournament.
“While the Saudi team is not going to play in Canada for the first round, we hope that we’re going to meet in subsequent rounds for some matches,” he said.
“When it comes to sports, it’s a natural convening mechanism.”
Linteau highlighted Canada’s support for developing sports in the Kingdom, particularly in disciplines where it has recognized expertise.
“In Canada, we have two national sports — lacrosse and ice hockey. In both those cases, Canadians have been in the Kingdom to support the establishment of these teams,” he said.
“We were very proud to be part of that. You can’t start being good at a sport … you have to crawl and then you walk and then you run.”
Sport was a powerful diplomatic tool, he said.
“It helps to build people-to-people ties. It helps youth and others to connect with each other, to meet and to share experiences,” he said.
With Saudi Arabia hosting an increasing number of international tournaments, Linteau said he expected more Canadians to travel to the Kingdom and witness its transformation firsthand and that the hoped more Saudis would compete and succeed on the global stage, including in Canada.
Feb. 15 marks Canada’s National Flag Day, which the ambassador said was “a day of unity, a day where we celebrate our flag.”
“The World Cup will also be an opportunity where we come together to support our national team under the same flag.
“I look forward to Saudi and Canada meeting together, hopefully, in the FIFA World Cup.”
