{"id":4480,"date":"2025-05-28T09:55:46","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T06:55:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/?p=4480"},"modified":"2025-05-28T09:55:47","modified_gmt":"2025-05-28T06:55:47","slug":"karim-benzema-leads-al-ittihad-to-saudi-pro-league-glory-amid-fierce-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/karim-benzema-leads-al-ittihad-to-saudi-pro-league-glory-amid-fierce-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"Karim Benzema Leads Al Ittihad to Saudi Pro League Glory Amid Fierce Competition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>2024\/25 Saudi Pro League season<\/strong> delivered high-stakes drama, with <strong>Al Ittihad<\/strong> emerging as champions, securing their <strong>10th league title<\/strong>. Led by <strong>Karim Benzema<\/strong>, the Jeddah-based club outperformed rivals <strong>Al Nassr and Al Hilal<\/strong>, who fell short in the title race. Despite strong individual performances from <strong>Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Man\u00e9<\/strong>, their respective teams couldn\u2019t keep pace with Al Ittihad\u2019s dominance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"662\" height=\"435\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/benzema-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4488\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/benzema-3.jpg 662w, https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/benzema-3-300x197.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/benzema-3-150x99.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 662px) 100vw, 662px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">photo courtesy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Al Ittihad\u2019s Triumph: Benzema\u2019s Impact<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Al Ittihad\u2019s resurgence under <strong>Laurent Blanc<\/strong> was remarkable. After finishing <strong>fifth last season<\/strong>, they bounced back to claim the title with <strong>83 points<\/strong>, nine ahead of second-placed <strong>Al Hilal<\/strong>. Benzema played a pivotal role, contributing <strong>21 goals and 9 assists<\/strong> in <strong>29 matches<\/strong>, proving his worth as the team\u2019s talisman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"667\" height=\"579\" data-id=\"4484\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/benzema-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4484\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/benzema-1.jpg 667w, https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/benzema-1-300x260.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/benzema-1-150x130.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 667px) 100vw, 667px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>His ability to <strong>deliver in crucial moments<\/strong> was evident, scoring match-winning goals against <strong>Al Nassr, Al Hilal, and Al Shabab<\/strong>. Without his <strong>30 goal contributions<\/strong>, Al Ittihad would have been <strong>20 points worse off<\/strong>, highlighting his immense influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Al Hilal\u2019s Struggles: Falling Short in the Final Stretch<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Al Hilal, last season\u2019s champions, started strong but faltered in the final weeks. Despite boasting a squad featuring <strong>Sergej Milinkovi\u0107-Savi\u0107 and Neymar<\/strong>(who left), they couldn\u2019t maintain consistency. Their <strong>75 points<\/strong> secured second place, but their inability to defeat Al Ittihad in key matches proved costly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Al Nassr\u2019s Disappointment: Ronaldo\u2019s Golden Boot, But No Title<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Cristiano Ronaldo secured his <strong>second consecutive Saudi Pro League Golden Boot<\/strong>, finishing with <strong>25 goals<\/strong>, two ahead of <strong>Ivan Toney<\/strong>. However, Al Nassr\u2019s <strong>defensive frailties<\/strong> and inconsistent performances saw them finish <strong>third with 66 points<\/strong>. Their <strong>3-2 loss to Al Fateh<\/strong> on the final day sealed their fate, denying them a shot at the title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"513\" height=\"603\" data-id=\"4485\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/benzema-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4485\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/benzema-2.jpg 513w, https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/benzema-2-255x300.jpg 255w, https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/benzema-2-150x176.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/benzema-2-300x353.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 513px) 100vw, 513px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">photo courtesy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Sadio Man\u00e9 and Al Nassr\u2019s Missed Opportunity<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Sadio Man\u00e9 had a promising season, contributing <strong>14 goals and 8 assists<\/strong>, but Al Nassr\u2019s inability to capitalize on key moments cost them dearly. Their <strong>mid-season slump<\/strong>, including losses to <strong>Al Ittihad and Al Hilal<\/strong>, left them playing catch-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Final Standings: Saudi Pro League 2024\/25<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Team<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Points<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Top Scorer<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Al Ittihad<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>83<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Karim Benzema (21 goals)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Al Hilal<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>75<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Aleksandar Mitrovi\u0107 (19 goals)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Al Nassr<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>70<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Cristiano Ronaldo (25 goals)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Al Ahli<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>68<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Ivan Toney (23 goals)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Karim Benzema\u2019s leadership and goal-scoring prowess propelled <strong>Al Ittihad<\/strong> to their <strong>10th Saudi Pro League title<\/strong>, overcoming fierce competition from <strong>Al Hilal and Al Nassr<\/strong>. While <strong>Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Man\u00e9<\/strong> delivered standout performances, their teams fell short in the title race. As the dust settles, Al Ittihad will now focus on their <strong>King\u2019s Cup final<\/strong>, aiming for a historic domestic double.<br><br><a href=\"http:\/\/Bangbet.com\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"Bangbet.com\">Bangbet <\/a>More Than Win!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 2024\/25 Saudi Pro League season delivered high-stakes drama, with Al Ittihad emerging as champions, securing their 10th league title. Led by Karim Benzema, the Jeddah-based club outperformed rivals Al Nassr and Al Hilal, who fell short in the title race. Despite strong individual performances from Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Man\u00e9, their respective teams couldn\u2019t [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":4483,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[339,337,338,336],"class_list":{"0":"post-4480","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-football-news","8":"tag-al-hilal","9":"tag-al-ittihad","10":"tag-al-nassr","11":"tag-saudi-pro-league"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4480","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4480"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4480\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4491,"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4480\/revisions\/4491"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4483"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}