Al Ittihad returned to winning ways in style on Thursday by putting four past Al Raed to keep the pressure on Roshn Saudi League leaders Al Hilal, with the pair separated only by goal difference through 15 rounds.
With Al Hilal cruising to a record victory earlier in the day, the Jeddah side wasted no time in asserting their credentials in the title race with an emphatic 4-1 win at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium.
After a slow start to the game, Al Ittihad took the lead midway through the first half as Steven Bergwijn advanced down the left and sent an inviting cross into the Al Raed penalty area. Captain Karim Benzema duly obliged, meeting the ball with a first-time finish to move level with Cristiano Ronaldo on 11 goals for the season - just one behind top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Just before the break, Benzema and Bergwijn exchanged roles to put Al Ittihad 2-0 up. Benzema picked up the ball in the middle of the pitch and fed his surging teammate, who carried it forward into the edge of the area before confidently placing his shot into the bottom corner to double his team's advantage.
However, alarm bells sounded for the hosts when Al Raed pulled a goal back in the 58th minute. Some exquisite footwork down the right from Amir Sayoud culminated with the Algerian setting up Naif Hazazi, who swept it home to half the deficit. Al Ittihad appealed strongly for a handball against Sayoud, but after a VAR review, the goal stood.
Laurent Blanc’s men wer able to see off the danger, though, and the two-goal margin was restored thanks to an incredible Houssem Aouar through pass and Abdulrahman Al Obud’s electric pace. The Saudi attacker raced on to beat his marker to the ball, before slotting in the third with 20 minutes to go.
Aouar then went from creator to scorer seven minutes later. The former Olympique Lyon and AS Roma playmaker got on the end of an Al Obud cross after Benzema got a touch to it, placing the ball into the bottom corner to put the game to bed.
Al Raed’s defeat means they remain dangerously close to the prospect of relegation for the first time in their history, with only two points separating them from the drop zone. Meanwhile, Al Ittihad remain comfortable in second place, 12 points ahead of nearest chasers Al Nassr and Al Qadsiah, who both play on Friday.
