Benzema's Hat-Trick Sends Ittihad into King Cup Semis with a 4-1 Win Over Shabab

Match Recap

Al Ittihad booked a place in the King Cup semi-finals by routing Al Shabab 4-1 at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium, keeping the title defense alive. The result capped a strong cup run after their 2-1 win over Al Nassr in the Round of 16 and extended their advantage over their Riyadh rivals in domestic cup clashes.

Abdul Razzaq Hamdallah opened the scoring for Shabab in the 14th minute from a cross, while Mohamed Doumbia equalized for Ittihad in the 20th with a long-range strike. Karim Benzema then put the attackers ahead in the 30th minute, with the Frenchman adding two more late strikes in the 84th and 86th to seal a convincing win.

The visitors created chances but could not convert, while Ittihad's defense and goalkeeper Predrag Rajković stood tall on the occasions that mattered.

Key Moments

Hamdallah opened the scoring for Shabab in the 14th minute, finishing a left-wing cross past Rajković. Doumbia leveled for Ittihad in the 20th with a powerful shot from outside the box. Benzema restored the lead in the 30th minute after a slick team move, before adding a late brace in the 84th and 86th minutes to seal the 4-1 win.

Ittihad’s performance was defined by sharp counters and clinical finishing, with Benzema finishing as the star of the night and completing a notable hat-trick. The result sends Ittihad into the King Cup semi-finals, joining other contenders who advanced earlier.

Final remark: The season’s cup run remains on track for Ittihad as they head into the tougher fixtures ahead, while Shabab must regroup and prepare for the league battles to come.

Punchlines: 1) If precision is a sport, Benzema just filed his best shoot-to-kill report of the season. 2) The ball looked for a map and found Benzema—every touch pointed straight to the back of the net.