Benzema’s Rough Welcome: Conceicao’s Ittihad Starts with a Penalty Miss and a 1-1 Draw

Match Snapshot

The Portuguese coach Sergio Conceicao failed to start his Al-Ittihad era with a win, as his side settled for a 1-1 draw with Al-Fayha in Round Five of the Saudi Pro League. Al-Fayha opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time through Sakala, and Al-Ittihad hit back in the 64th minute via Ahmed Al-Ghamdi to rescue a point.

Two minutes before the final whistle, a penalty awarded to the visitors sparked debate, but Karim Benzema could not convert, leaving the scoreline intact. It marked a rocky beginning for the French forward in his first appearance under Conceicao, and for the new phase of the club’s project.

The miss added to the narrative that Benzema’s arrival would bring immediate magic, a storyline the team hoped to silence with a victory in the early stages of Conceicao’s tenure.

Career Echoes

Conceicao’s coaching journey reads like a roller-coaster. He began with Olhanense in Portugal, endured early defeats, then moved on to Académica Coimbra in 2013, before stints with Braga, Nantes, Porto, and a high-profile, title-laden spell at Milan. His career is defined by dramatic ups and downs, suggesting that a debut with Al-Ittihad would come with tests, rather than a flawless start.

That history helps frame the current moment: Conceicao’s first match for Al-Ittihad blended promise with pressure, and the performance offered both glimpses of potential and areas to tighten as the season accelerates toward Asia and domestic commitments.

Meanwhile, the team built on a notable post-international break run. After this draw, Al-Ittihad has not tasted defeat in 24 league matches following international duty, recording 15 wins and 9 draws, including a 15-match winless stretch away from home that had recently shifted toward resilience.

In terms of penalties, Benzema’s miss came as part of a broader note: he has converted many, but also squandered a few in his long career. A Saudi outlet reported that Benzema has taken 55 penalties across his career, with 42 converted and 13 missed; five of those misses occurred during his recent spell with Al-Ittihad. The Frenchman later offered a public apology to the fans for the wasted late opportunity, a moment that will linger in the early weeks of Conceicao’s campaign with the team.

Conceicao himself convened a rapid briefing with his staff after the match, staying on the pitch to dissect what went wrong and how to avoid repeats in the subsequent fixtures, signaling the serious, hands-on approach expected from the Portuguese manager as he charts a course through a demanding schedule.

Looking ahead, Al-Ittihad faces a challenging October: a continental trip to Iraq to face Al-Shorta on October 20 in the AFC Champions League, followed by a home clash with Al-Hilal on October 24 in the Saudi Pro League, and then a King’s Cup Round of 16 tie against Al-Nassr a few days later. The schedule underscores the high-stakes environment Conceicao inherits, where a single slip can ripple across multiple competitions.

Sniper punchline 1: If football were a sniper’s range, Benzema’s penalty would be the stray bullet—you aim for the top corner, but you still end up flirting with the post. Sniper punchline 2: In life and football, sometimes your best shot is a rebound—just make sure it lands in your own goal... and then blame the grass for the bounce.