Three Takeaways: Late drama as Benzema’s Al Ittihad beats Ronaldo’s Al Nassr

Al Ittihad underlined its Saudi Pro League title credentials with a dramatic stoppage-time victory over Al Nassr in Jeddah. More than 55,000 fans packed out a rocking King Abdullah Sports City as a late goal from Dutch winger Steven Bergwijn handed Al Ittihad a valuable 2-1 victory that keeps it top of the Saudi Pro League table.

The game had been locked at 1-1 after Karim Benzema’s 55th-minute opener was cancelled out two minutes later by Cristiano Ronaldo, but it was the Frenchman who ended up celebrating at the expense of his former Real Madrid team-mate. Bergwijn’s late intervention ensured that Al Ittihad remains two points clear of Al Hilal.

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Here, Al Arabiya English selects three key takeaways from Al Ittihad’s 2-1 Saudi Pro League victory over Al Nassr.

Brilliant Bergwijn strikes late blow

The highest-profile arrival at Al Ittihad last summer was Moussa Diaby, the French winger who joined from English Premier League club Aston Villa for a princely sum of 60 million euros ($63 million). Diaby has been superb - contributing 10 assists and a goal in his opening 10 appearances - but it is increasingly Steven Bergwijn’s 21 million euros signing from Ajax that looks to be Al Ittihad’s best bit of transfer business.

With Diaby missing for the past three games with an ankle sprain, Bergwijn has taken on Al Ittihad’s creative mantle with aplomb. The ex-Tottenham attacker was man of the match against Al Ettifaq last time out after scoring one and setting up another; against Al Nassr, it was Bergwijn who popped up again, in the 91st minute, to strike the decisive blow for Laurent Blanc’s side with his third goal in four matches.

It was a fine strike, all of his own making. Bergwijn received a pass from left-back Mario Mitaj before dancing into the Al Nassr penalty box, holding off the challenge of center-back Mohamed Simakan, and arrowing a low, right-footed shot beyond the grasp of diving goalkeeper Bento.

It was just the latest important intervention from Bergwijn, who has shown time and again in recent weeks that he brings an invaluable dynamism to Al Ittihad. His versatility in being able to play across the front line will continue to be a useful weapon as Al Ittihad attempts to regain the Saudi Pro League title.

Benzema wins box office battle

Al Ittihad and Al Nassr are about far more than their respective superstars, but there is no question that the bringing together of former Real Madrid team-mates Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo on the same pitch is a box office event in Saudi Arabia and beyond. Along with Neymar, the ex-Los Blancos pair are the global faces of the Saudi Pro League and it would have delighted those responsible for furthering worldwide interest in football in the Kingdom that both Benzema and Ronaldo managed to get on the scoresheet in Jeddah.

It was Al Ittihad captain Benzema who struck first, using the intelligence that made him one of Europe’s most feared forwards for more than 15 years to peel off his marker and slot home right-back Muhannad Al-Shanqeeti’s ball across the six-yard box. The goal was Benzema’s 10th of a prolific campaign that has already seen him surpass his total tally in 2023-24; the Al Ittihad captain has only failed to find the net in two matches so far this season.

Both Benzema and Ronaldo remain level in second place in the race for the Saudi Pro League Golden Boot - behind Al Hilal’s Aleksandar Mitrovic - after Al Nassr’s skipper joined his old Bernabeu comrade on 10 goals in 2024-25. Al Ittihad’s lead, courtesy of Benzema, lasted less than two minutes as Al Nassr snatched an equalizer almost directly from kick-off. Brazilian teenager Angelo Gabriel was the creator, his pass putting the ball on a plate for Ronaldo to stroke home his seventh goal in eight games in all competitions.

Last time Benzema and Ronaldo shared a pitch it was the Portugal No. 7 who triumphed - netting two goals in Al Nassr’s 5-2 victory in the same fixture in Jeddah last December. A year is an awfully long time in football, however, and Al Ittihad has gone from a fading force that gave up its league title listlessly, to the division’s strongest team. Benzema’s form under new coach Laurent Blanc has been key to the team’s resurgence, while Ronaldo may now need to accept a fifth straight season without a league title - stretching back to his second Serie A win with Juventus in 2020.

Early pressure for Pioli?

It may seem a little ridiculous, given his excellent start to life as Al Nassr coach, to suggest that Stefano Pioli may already be under pressure. But history shows that Saudi Pro League clubs can be ruthless in discarding managers. While Pioli won each of his first seven games as Al Nassr coach, the Italian has now lost three of his last five, including two defeats in succession following the 2-1 ACL Elite reverse to Qatar’s Al-Sadd in Riyadh earlier this week. Former coach Luis Castro was axed for less back in September.

It is the first time that Al Nassr has lost back-to-back matches since last August - when Al Taawoun and Al Ettifaq inflicted a pair of defeats at the start of the 2023-24 Saudi Pro League season before Ronaldo and his teammates rallied to challenge Al Hilal for the title. This time around, however, Al Nassr already looks out of the race.

Al Qadsiah’s comfortable 3-0 victory over Al Kholood on Friday moved the team from Khobar above Al Nassr into third place in the Saudi Pro League table; Pioli’s side appears to be exiting the title picture with less than half a season gone. And having already suffered an early King’s Cup exit in October, too, AFC Champions League Elite glory must now be Al Nassr’s main goal.

Pioli would have loved to get his players back out on the pitch as soon as possible in a bid to arrest the recent slide but, frustratingly for Ronaldo and Co., Al Nassr must now wait until the Pro League clash with Al Akhdoud on January 9 before they can try to return to winning ways as the Kingdom heads into its winter break.

It is likely that Pioli will be given more time. After all, he won only three of his first 11 matches at AC Milan before turning the team into Serie A champions, while with Al Nassr he is also currently sitting on his best average Points Per Match (PPM) figure - 2.06 - since the early days of his coaching career with Modena back in 2006. Will Al Nassr exercise patience? Only time will tell.

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