Karim Benzema Scores 3rd Al Ittihad Goal in Win Over Al Shorta, Video

• Karim Benzema netted again for new club Al-Ittihad against Al-Shorta
• The Frenchman scored a late penalty to earn the win for his Saudi side
• The Saudi giants are now atop Group A of the Arab Club Champions Cup

2022 Ballon d'Or winner, Karim Benzema, made it three goals in three games for Al-Ittihad by scoring the winner in a 2-1 win over Iraqi club, Al-Shorta, in their Arab Club Champions Cup clash.

The 35-year-old had netted the winning goal on his debut when the Saudi Pro League champions beat north African side, ES Tunis, 2-1 in the competition.

Three days later, the Frenchman also bagged the only goal in a 1-0 victory over another Tunisian club, CS Sfaxien.

Then, on August 2, the former Real Madrid forward was on the scoresheet once again after he converted an 85th-minute penalty to hand Al-Ittihad the victory once again.

Karim Benzema scores a stunning goal on his debut for Saudi club Al Ittihad

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The Saudi side, who had already qualified for the quarter-finals of the Arab Club Champions Cup, opened the scoring thanks to Ahmed Bamsaud's 36th-minute strike.

Abdoul Madjid Moumouni netted in the 80th minute to restore parity for Al-Shorta.

With time running out, Benzema showed his class to convert from the spot and hand a hard-fought win to coach Nuno Espirito Santo's side.

The victory means Al-Ittihad will finish top of Group A and face fellow Saudi Pro League side, Al-Hilal, in the quarter-final on August 5.

The Arab Club Champions Cup

The Arab Club Champions Cup is a yearly club tournament contested by the best clubs in the Arab world, per 90min. 16 teams are taking part in the competition.

This year, ten teams qualified automatically for the tourney and seven of those were champions in their respective leagues last season.

African teams have dominated the tournament recently. There has not been a winner from Saudi Arabia since 2005, with Al-Hilal, Al-Ettifaq, and Al-Shabab winning it twice while Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli won once.

"He’s already better than Ronaldo in Saudi" Fans crown Benzema as king after stunning goal

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Benzema scores on Al-Ittihad debut

Last week, Benzema scored a beauty for Al-Ittihad in his team's first group game. They were trailing 0-1 before he assisted Abderrazak Hamdallah for the equaliser, as Sports Brief reported.

The game was finely poised before the Real Madrid legend decided to take matters into his own hands. The French star then unleashed an unstoppable shot from outside for his first club goal.