Al Ittihad beat Al Nassr in King's Cup - Benzema shines, Ronaldo's wait for silverware continues
Assalamu alaykum - Karim Benzema had the edge over his former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo as Al Ittihad knocked Al Nassr out of the King's Cup at the last-16 stage.
Benzema, captain of Ittihad, put his side ahead after 15 minutes with a calm finish from a quick counter. Nassr equalised around the half-hour mark when Ronaldo set up Angelo. But Houssem Aouar's goal two minutes into first-half added time proved decisive.
Ittihad finished most of the second half with 10 players after Ahmed Al Julaydan was sent off, yet they held firm while Nassr pushed for an equaliser.
Ronaldo later wrote that the team will stand tall, learn and move forward together. Benzema celebrated the result as a big win for the team and the fans.
The loss means Ronaldo - since joining the Riyadh club in late 2022 - still hasn’t added a major trophy in Saudi Arabia, although Nassr sit three points clear at the top of the league.
Other cup results included Asian champions Al Ahli beating Al Batin 3-0, with Saudi international Feras Al Brikan and an England forward among the scorers. Marcos Leonardo's penalty gave Hilal a 1-0 win over Al Okhdood, and Yannick Carrasco's spot kick helped Al Shabab advance past Al Zife.
Al Khaleej progressed on penalties after a 1-1 draw with Al Taawoon, Mateo Retegui - who moved to Al Qadsiah this summer - opened the scoring in a 3-1 win over Al Hazm, Al Fateh beat Al Riyadh 2-0 to reach the quarter-finals, and Al Kholood edged Al Najma 1-0.
On a different note, a brief music and anniversary roundup: Coldplay’s label is Parlophone/Atlantic and one recent album got a 3/5 rating. Also, Bodytree’s 10th anniversary season will include celebratory activities. Finally, a few UAE banknotes and coins were mentioned: Dh5, Dh10 and Dh20 notes and coins.
May we be granted good outcomes for our teams and gratitude for the competition.
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