JEDDAH — Al Ittihad returned to winning form with a dominant 4-1 victory over Al Raed on Thursday at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, keeping the gap to Roshn Saudi League (RSL) leaders Al Hilal at three points by the end of Matchweek 15. With Al Hilal earlier achieving a record-breaking win, Al Ittihad wasted no time asserting their title ambitions in an emphatic display. After a slow start, Al Ittihad broke the deadlock midway through the first half. Steven Bergwijn delivered a precise cross from the left, which Karim Benzema finished expertly to level Cristiano Ronaldo's tally of 11 goals this season, just one behind top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic. Moments before halftime, Benzema turned provider, feeding Bergwijn at the edge of the area. The Dutch forward carried the ball forward and slotted it into the bottom corner, doubling Al Ittihad's lead. Al Raed clawed one back in the 58th minute when Amir Sayoud's dazzling footwork set up Naif Hazazi, who calmly finished to reduce the deficit. However, Laurent Blanc's side quickly reasserted control. In the 70th minute, Houssem Aouar's perfectly weighted through ball found Abdulrahman Al Obud, who used his blistering pace to beat his marker and restore the two-goal cushion. Aouar then sealed the victory seven minutes later, converting an Al Obud cross that Benzema flicked on, ensuring the game ended 4-1 in Al Ittihad's favor. The win leaves Al Ittihad comfortably in second place, 12 points ahead of Al Nassr and Al Qadsiah, who play on Friday. Meanwhile, Al Raed's loss puts them perilously close to relegation, just two points above the drop zone.
