Al Ittihad midfielder Fabinho praised his team’s “champion” spirit after they moved closer to securing the Roshn Saudi League title following a crucial night of action on Monday.
The league leaders received a significant boost before their match with Al Ettifaq when second-placed Al Hilal dropped points in a 2-2 draw against Al Shabab in the Riyadh Derby. Al Hilal had recovered from Daniel Podence’s early strike to lead 2-1 through goals from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Salem Al Dawsari, but Mohammed Al Shwirekh’s 68th-minute header earned Al Shabab a valuable point.
Al Ittihad then took the field knowing victory would extend their lead to six points with just five matches remaining. Despite conceding in the fifth minute when Vitinho’s deflected shot beat goalkeeper Mohammed Al Mahasnah, Laurent Blanc’s side responded quickly.
Six minutes later, Houssem Aouar’s corner found Karim Benzema at the far post, who volleyed across goal for Danilo Pereira to equalize. Benzema then put Al Ittihad ahead after the half-hour mark, capitalizing on Vitinho’s misplaced pass to score his 18th league goal of the season, as he continues pursuing Cristiano Ronaldo (23 goals) in the golden boot race.
Al Ittihad extended their lead to 3-1 before halftime through a well-crafted team move finished by Aouar from Moussa Diaby’s assist. Diaby’s 14th assist of the season strengthened his position atop the assists chart, now leading Al Dawsari by two.
Al Ettifaq captain Georginio Wijnaldum created a tense finish with a header seven minutes from time, but Al Ittihad held firm for what could prove a decisive victory. With a superior head-to-head goal difference against Al Hilal, they now need only three wins from their remaining five matches to claim their second championship in three years.
“The important thing today is three points. It was very important to bounce back after the last game,” Fabinho told the SPL, referring to their surprising 2-0 defeat to Al Fateh. “We played at home with our fans; that is always helpful and very nice for us.”
The former Liverpool player emphasized the resilience that has characterized their title campaign: “In this part of the season, we need everybody to show up. We need us, the most experienced players, to show up to fight to the end. And if you have to suffer, we need to do it as well. Yes, we have to play as a champion side. And tonight we did it.”
Regarding the six-point advantage, Fabinho added: “At this point of the season, we could be maybe 10 points ahead or maybe two points ahead, but six points is a very good advantage. There’s five games to go. So we need [three] wins. Let’s keep going. Let’s keep fighting now.”
Al Ittihad now have a 16-day break before facing Al Nassr, whose Asian Champions League Elite commitments have delayed the fixture.
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