Al Ittihad had a golden chance of winning the Club World Cup this season with their superstars. But, unfortunately, the dream is over for the Saudi giants, as they suffered a shocking 3-1 defeat against Egyptian side Al Ahly. While Ittihad’s captain Karim Benzema has not yet spoken after the match, another star player of the team has apologized for the defeat.

Al Ittihad will now need to reshift their focus on doing better in the Saudi League and other domestic competitions. This is the only way they can rescue their underwhelming current season and move towards the league title.

Al Ittihad star apologies for the Club World Cup loss after Karim Benzema miss

Al Ittihad was heavily backed to win the second round of the FIFA Club World Cup against Al Ahly. But the Egyptian giants surprisingly came out with all guns blazing. They defeated the Saudi giants 3-1. Nothing went right for the Karim Benzema-led team. Their performance also saw the local media trolling their performances. Al Ittihad left-back Ahmed Bamsaud spoke after the defeat. He said,” I apologize to the country for this result.” However, the result could have been different had Benzema converted his penalty.

Al Ittihad started the game with attacking intent. But, the Egyptian team defended their goal well. Al Ahly were also rewarded for their defending. They converted a penalty in the 21st minute. Before half-time, the Saudi giants also got a penalty in the 44th minute. Unfortunately, Karim Benzema failed to convert the penalty.  The second made things worse for them than batter. In three minutes, they conceded 2 goals.

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No Place for Cristiano Ronaldo & Lionel Messi in Karim Benzema’s Dream XI

Benzema scored a goal in the last few minutes of the game yet the goal only proved to be a consolation. The focus on the club will be now to climb the league table before the international break.

The Saudi giants have three important league games that could define their season

After the disappointing result, Al Ittihad will now focus on finishing as high as possible on the league table. They have managed to get some sort of form from the last season after Marcelo Gallardo was announced as the new manager. They are currently fifth in the Saudi Pro League table. However, this position could drastically improve, or worsen in the upcoming matches.

Their next game is against strugglers Al Raed. Al Ittihad has only won 3 games in the whole season. Besides, three days after the Al Raed game, they will face high-flying Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr. Hence, Karim Benzema and the team need to carry a winning momentum for the game against them. They face 12th-placed Al Tai which again they will hope to win.

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So, Al Ittihad must manage as much as many points in the last three games before the international break. These three games could determine their chances to finish in the top 4 this season.