ABU DHABI — Al Ittihad secured their spot in the final of the Diriyah Saudi Super Cup after defeating Al Wehda 2-1 in the semi-final match held at Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
The defending champions, Al Ittihad, sealed their victory with goals from Karim Benzema and Moroccan striker Abdulrazak Hamdallah, ensuring their progression to the final set to take place at Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium on Thursday.
Al Ittihad wasted no time in finding the net, with French star Karim Benzema scoring just 55 seconds into the game, marking the quickest goal in the history of Saudi Super Cup matches and showcasing his return to form after a period of absence.
Before the first half concluded, Moroccan player Abdulrazak Hamdallah capitalized on a pass from Brazilian Romarinho to extend Al Ittihad's lead.
Despite Al Wehda's aggressive start in the second half and their attempts to narrow the gap, Al Ittihad's goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Mayouf displayed exceptional skill in stopping Anselmo's shot, following a previous attempt that hit the crossbar.
Al Ittihad then focused on counter-attacks and came close to increasing their lead multiple times, notably with Hamdallah's chance created by Romarinho, which narrowly missed the target.
In the final minutes of the match, Al Wehda was awarded a penalty but failed to convert it, as Faisal Fajr's attempt was unsuccessful. Al Wehda's Hussein Al Issa managed to score in stoppage time, but it was too late for his team to equalize the score.
The match also saw the return of Al Ittihad's player Hamed Al-Ghamdi from a lengthy injury absence, with coach Gallardo bringing him on in the second half to prepare for the final showdown.
