Benzema Ends Drought, Diaby Red Card Drama as Al-Ittihad Edge Al-Riyadh 2-1.

Benzema Ends Drought, Diaby Red Card Drama as Al-Ittihad Edge Al-Riyadh 2-1.

Al-Ittihad 2–1 Al-Riyadh

                    Benzema Breaks Drought, Diaby Sees Red in Dramatic Victory Saudi Pro League – Round 11 | Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium, Jeddah Friday, 21 November 2025 | Kick-off: 20:00 local (17:00 GMT)

            Final Score Al-Ittihad 2–1 Al-Riyadh Karim Benzema 24′ Mohammed Al-Khaibari (o.g.) 45+2′ Mamadou Sylla 77′

Red Card: Moussa Diaby 63′ (Al-Ittihad)

Attendance: 18,742 Referee: Mohammed Al-Hoaish Player of the Match: Moussa Diaby (Al-Ittihad)

The drought is over. After 483 minutes without a Saudi Pro League goal stretching back to his opening-day hat-trick against Al-Okhdood on 24 August, Karim Benzema finally found the net again – and in doing so dragged Al-Ittihad out of a five-match winless spiral with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over stubborn Al-Riyadh.

It was far from vintage Ittihad. It was chaotic, tense, occasionally ugly, and at times played with ten men for the final half-hour after Moussa Diaby’s reckless red card. Yet when the final whistle sounded at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium, the Tigers had three priceless points, their first league win since 27 September, and a huge sigh of relief echoing around Jeddah.

First Half – Benzema Awakens

Laurent Blanc made two changes from the side that drew 1-1 with Al-Qadsiah the previous week: Saleh Al-Shehri dropped to the bench with Ahmed Al-Ghamdi preferred up top alongside Benzema, while Hamed Al-Ghamdi returned in midfield after suspension. Al-Riyadh, under interim boss Odair Hellmann following the sacking of Sabri Lamouchi, lined up in a compact 4-4-2 designed to frustrate.

The opening 20 minutes were scrappy. Al-Riyadh sat deep, ceding possession (Ittihad would finish the half with 68%) but denying space between the lines. Steven Nzonzi and Fabinho dictated tempo from deep, yet clear-cut chances were scarce.

That all changed in the 24th minute.

Diaby, who has been one of the signings of the season, collected possession on the right touchline, nutmegged Knowledge Musona with a delicious piece of skill, and accelerated into space. One glance up and he floated a perfect out-swinging cross to the back post. Benzema, timing his run to perfection between Al-Riyadh centre-backs Al-Khaibari and Ahmed Asiri, rose highest and powered a downward header past the despairing Martín Campaña. 1–0. Bedlam in the stands.

The goal was Benzema’s 4th of the league campaign but, more importantly, his first since that opening-day treble. The Ballon d’Or winner sprinted to the corner flag, cupped his ears, and let out a roar that had been building for nearly three months.

Al-Riyadh almost responded instantly. A quick free-kick caught Ittihad napping and Mamadou Sylla’s low drive forced Predrag Rajković into a smart save at his near post.

But just when the visitors thought they would reach the break only one down, disaster struck in first-half stoppage time.

Fabinho’s lofted pass over the top looked innocuous, but Mohammed Al-Khaibari, under no pressure, misjudged the flight completely. Attempting a headed back-pass to Campaña, the ball looped over the stranded goalkeeper and into the empty net. 2–0. Al-Khaibari stood motionless, hands on head, as the Ittihad players wheeled away in disbelief and delight.

Second Half – Chaos Ensues

Whatever Hellmann said at half-time worked. Al-Riyadh emerged with far greater intensity, pressing high and forcing errors. Talal Haji replaced the ineffective Didier Ndong and immediately injected energy down the left.

Ittihad should have killed the game on 54 minutes. Benzema robbed Al-Khaibari on halfway, surged forward and slid Al-Ghamdi clean through. The 21-year-old rounded Campaña but, from a tight angle, struck the base of the post. The rebound fell kindly to Benzema, whose first-time effort was somehow clawed away by Campaña’s trailing leg.

That missed chance would prove costly.

On 63 minutes, madness. Diaby, already on a yellow for dissent, chased a lost cause near the touchline and swung a trailing arm that caught Al-Riyadh substitute Teddy Okou flush in the face. Referee Mohammed Al-Hoaish had no choice – second yellow, then red. Diaby trudged off to a mixture of boos and ironic applause, his outstanding display ruined by a moment of stupidity.

Now it was 10 vs 11, and Al-Riyadh smelled blood.

Rajković produced a world-class double save in the 71st minute, first denying Haji’s curled effort, then somehow diverting Okou’s follow-up onto the bar from point-blank range. The Serbian goalkeeper was earning every rial of his salary.

The pressure finally told in the 77th minute. Yahya Al-Shehri, another substitute, whipped in a wicked low cross from the left and Mamadou Sylla, stealing a yard on Hassan Al-Asmari, flicked a clever finish beyond Rajković. 2–1. Game very much on.
Final Frenzy – Tigers Hold Firm

With 13 minutes plus stoppages remaining, most expected Al-Ittihad to retreat into a low block. They did the opposite.

Blanc threw on defensive midfielder Awad Al-Nashri for Al-Ghamdi, but the message was clear: keep playing. Nzonzi and Fabinho both pushed higher, and remarkably, the ten men began creating chances again.

78′ – Benzema’s audacious rabona cross is inches away from being converted by Al-Nashri. 84′ – Fabinho lines up a 28-yard free-kick that Campaña tips over spectacularly. 89′ – Fabinho again, this time curling another set-piece just wide.

In the 90+4th minute, Al-Riyadh launched one last desperate attack. Al-Shehri’s corner found Al-Khaibari, desperate for redemption, but his header sailed harmlessly over.

When Al-Hoaish finally blew the whistle, the relief was palpable. Players collapsed to the turf; Blanc punched the air; the Yellow and Black half of Jeddah erupted.
Post-Match Reaction

Karim Benzema (via beIN Sports): “I’m happy for the goal, but happier for the team. We suffered, yes, but we showed character. This is just the start – we have big ambitions this season.”

Laurent Blanc: “Moussa made a mistake, but he also gave us the first goal. Football is like this. I’m proud of the reaction after the red card. We didn’t park the bus – we played like Al-Ittihad should play.”

Odair Hellmann (Al-Riyadh interim): “We showed great spirit in the second half. One more goal and it’s a different story. But we must stop giving away cheap goals. The own-goal before half-time killed us.”

Data Debrief (Opta/FotMob)
Al-Ittihad ended a run of 5 league games without a win (D3 L2).
Benzema’s drought: 483 minutes → ended with his 150th club goal since turning 35.
Diaby vs Riyadh teams (Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, Al-Riyadh, Al-Shabab): 9 matches → 3 goals + 5 assists.
Al-Ittihad’s third red card of the season (Diaby, Kante vs Al-Ahli, Al-Ghamdi suspended earlier).
xG: Al-Ittihad 1.55 – 0.82 Al-Riyadh
Possession: 61% – 39%
Shots: 15 – 7
Shots on target: 6 – 4
Big chances created: 3 – 2
Rajković: 4 saves, including two world-class stops.
League Table After Round 11 (Top 6)
Al-Hilal – 27 pts
Al-Ittihad – 23 pts (+13 GD) ↑
Al-Nassr – 22 pts
Al-Ahli – 21 pts
Al-Qadsiah – 19 pts
Al-Shabab – 17 pts …
Al-Riyadh – 9 pts (relegation zone)
What It Means

For Al-Ittihad, this was more than three points – it was a statement. After a turbulent few weeks that saw fan protests and intense pressure on Blanc, the Tigers are back within four points of leaders Al-Hilal with a game in hand.

Next up: a mouthwatering Jeddah Derby against Al-Ahli on 30 November. Benzema is scoring again, Diaby (suspended) will return fresher, and the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium will be rocking.

For Al-Riyadh, the search for a permanent manager continues. They remain in the bottom three and face Al-Nassr next – a daunting prospect.

But on a cool November night in Jeddah, only one thing mattered: Karim Benzema is back among the goals, and Al-Ittihad are marching again.

Man of the Match: Moussa Diaby – A tale of two halves: brilliance and brainlessness, but his assist for Benzema’s opener and relentless threat before the red card earned him the sponsors’ award.