In Dammam, Saudi Arabia, Karim Benzema made a remarkable return from injury by contributing significantly to Al-Ittihad’s triumph with a goal and two assists, leading the team to a 4-0 victory against Ettifaq on Saturday.

The former Real Madrid star had been sidelined for four games due to a muscle injury but wasted no time in showcasing his ability against a struggling Ettifaq team, which is managed by the well-known former Liverpool and England player, Steven Gerrard.

Benzema scored after 27 minutes, but his initial goal was ruled offside by VAR. Undeterred, he assisted N’Golo Kante just eight minutes later, setting him up to score with a shot from inside the penalty area.

In the second half, Benzema capitalized on a loose ball, extending his team’s lead with a close-range effort, marking his ninth goal of the league season. This goal puts him in a tie with Cristiano Ronaldo from Al-Nassr, while trailing Aleksandar Mitrovic of Al-Hilal by three goals.

Houssem Aouar followed up by increasing the score to 3-0 in the 66th minute, and shortly after, Benzema delivered a precise through pass that enabled Steven Bergwin to net the fourth goal.

On the other hand, Ettifaq has now gone nine matches without a win and sits precariously just three points above the relegation zone. This situation has intensified the scrutiny on Gerrard, who took over managerial duties in July 2023.

Recently, the team parted ways with Dean Holden, Gerrard’s assistant coach, acknowledging that the performance had not met expectations. During the post-match conference, Gerrard stated, “This conference is not the place to talk about dismissing the assistant coach. These decisions are the decisions of the board of directors.”

As for the league standings, despite Ettifaq’s struggles in 13th place, Ittihad maintained its position at the top, holding a two-point advantage over Al-Hilal. In a different match, Al-Hilal bounced back from an early deficit to claim a 2-1 victory against Al-Shabab.

Al-Shabab initially took the lead in the Riyadh derby with a goal from Abderrazak Hamdallah in the sixth minute. However, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic quickly equalized for Al-Hilal eight minutes later. Things escalated for the champions when former Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly was shown a red card just before half-time.

With the match turning chaotic, Nader Al-Sharari also received two yellow cards, leaving Al-Shabab down to ten players early in the second half. Ultimately, Milinkovic-Savic sealed the win for Al-Hilal with a brilliant free kick that curled into the top corner in the 62nd minute.