JEDDAH — Al-Ittihad delivered a historic 7-1 thrashing of Al-Wehda in a thrilling derby match at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, wrapping up the third round of the Saudi Pro League and sending a strong warning to Al-Hilal ahead of their anticipated clash next Saturday. The match began with a spectacular display from the nearly 50,000-strong crowd, who were treated to a historic Tifo. On the pitch, Al-Ittihad's players dazzled with their attacking prowess, led by Karim Benzema, who scored a hat-trick, and Moussa Diaby, who excelled in both goal creation and assists. New signing Steven Bergwijn also impressed with his contributions. This third consecutive victory for Al-Ittihad keeps them perfect after three rounds, matching Al-Hilal's points, who also secured a win against Al-Riyadh in the same round. The upcoming match between these two teams promises to be a high-stakes affair. The scoring for Al-Ittihad started early with French star Karim Benzema finding the net in the 2nd minute, finishing off a pass from Bergwijn. Houssem Aouar doubled the lead with a goal in the 13th minute, assisted by Diaby. Despite a goal from Iraqi Yusuf Al-Ameen in the 31st minute that briefly gave Al-Wehda hope, Al-Ittihad responded quickly with a goal from Brazilian Fabinho in first-half stoppage time. In the second half, Benzema struck again to make it 4-1, this time assisted by Bergwijn, and Fawaz Al-Suqour added a fifth goal, with Diaby again providing the assist. Substitute Saleh Al-Shehri scored his first goal for Al-Ittihad in the 87th minute, and Benzema completed the rout with his third goal of the game in the 89th minute.
