Al Ittihad have officially clinched the Saudi Pro League title after a 3-1 victory over Al Raed on matchday 32 confirmed their place at the top of the table.
Despite a shaky start at King Abdullah Sports City, where already-relegated Al Raed took a surprise lead in the 9th minute through Oumar Gonzalez, Al Ittihad quickly regrouped. In the 21st minute, Abdulrahman Al Aboud set up Steven Bergwijn for the equalizer. Just before halftime, Danilo Pereira—assisted by Unai Hernandez—gave Al Ittihad the lead with a well-taken goal in the 40th minute.
Al Aboud then struck again just after the break in the 47th minute, extending the lead to 3-1 and putting the result beyond doubt.
With this win, Al Ittihad reached 77 points—nine ahead of Al Hilal, who have yet to play their match in this round. Thanks to a superior head-to-head record against Jorge Jesus’ side, Al Ittihad have mathematically secured the title with two rounds remaining.
This triumph marks a significant turnaround for the Jeddah-based club, who finished fifth in the 2023/24 season—42 points behind then-champions Al Hilal. Under the guidance of Laurent Blanc, Al Ittihad took control of the league from matchday 19 and never looked back.
Karim Benzema, despite not featuring in the decisive match, has been a standout throughout the campaign. The French forward has recorded 21 goals and nine assists in 28 appearances, making him the league’s second-highest scorer behind Cristiano Ronaldo (23 goals). This is Benzema’s first title with Al Ittihad since joining the club in June 2023.
