Al-Ittihad take advantage of Al-Hilal stumble
Al-Ittihad moved six points clear at the top of the Saudi Pro League after coming from behind to beat Al-Ittifaq 3-2 as title rivals Al-Hilal were held to a 2-2 draw by Al-Shabab on Monday.
Al-Ittihad bounced back from losing 2-0 to Al-Fateh in their previous match to move up to 68 points with five games remaining.
Al-Ittifaq scored first after five minutes when Vitinho had a powerful shot deflected into the net, but Al-Ittihad equalised six minutes later when a low cross from Karim Benzema found Danilo Pereira who slotted it home from close range.
Benzema took matters into his own hands to score their second goal 10 minutes before halftime, when he capitalised on a defensive error to go one-on-one with the keeper and score easily.
Houssem Aouar made it 3-1 for Al-Ittihad just before the interval after a low cross from Moussa Diaby.
Chances were limited in the second half, but the game became nervy in the closing minutes as Al-Ittifaq pulled one back after an own goal from Danilo seven minutes before fulltime.
Al-Hilal had reduced the gap at the top to four points last week, but their hopes of retaining their title are now hanging by a thread.
Daniel Podence opened the scoring for Al-Shabab after seven minutes with a precise shot from distance but Sergej Milinkovic-Savic equalised for the home team in the 31st minute after a clever pass from Salem Al-Dawsari to score from close range.
Aleksandar Mitrovic almost put Al-Hilal ahead in the final minute of the first half, but volleyed wide of the left post.
Salem made it 2-1 for Al-Hilal just after halftime, collecting a through-ball from Malcom and firing home from close range.
But defender Mohammed Al-Shuwaikh levelled for Al-Shabab in the 68th minute with a powerful header from a Podence corner.
Yannick Carrasco thought he had scored another goal for Al-Shabab three minutes later, but his effort was ruled out for offside.
Haroun Camara missed a chance to put Al-Shabab ahead in the 82nd minute, shooting wide in a one-on-one.
Al-Hilal pressed fiercely in the remaining minutes in search of a winning goal, but Mitrovic headed against the crossbar from close range and Malcom missed an opportunity in stoppage time with a weak shot.
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