Al-Ittihad Knocks Out Al-Nassr and Joins Al-Hilal in the Saudi Cup Quarterfinals

Al-Ittihad Jeddah and Al-Hilal booked their places in the Saudi Cup quarterfinals, with Al-Shabab and Al-Qadsiah also securing their spots.

At Al-Awwal Park, Al-Ittihad eliminated hosts Al-Nassr with a 2-1 victory in the headline Round of 16 clash. 

Karim Benzema (15’) and Algerian midfielder Houssem Aouar (45+2’) struck for Ittihad, who were reduced to ten men in the 49th minute when Ahmad Al-Julaidan was shown a straight red card, while Brazilian Angelo Gabriel (30’) netted for Al-Nassr.

Benzema broke the deadlock with a composed finish inside the box after a clever pass from French teammate Moussa Diaby (15’).

Al-Nassr hit back when Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo threaded a precise through ball into the area. The defense failed to clear, allowing Angelo to fire home the equalizer (30’).

Aouar restored Ittihad’s lead just before halftime, controlling the ball inside the area and finishing clinically into the corner (45+2’).

Ittihad’s task became harder early in the second half when Al-Julaidan was dismissed for a reckless challenge on Ayman Yahya (49’).

Meanwhile, Al-Hilal sealed their place in the last eight with a 1-0 win away at Al-Okhdood, thanks to a first-half penalty from Brazilian forward Marcos Leonardo (45+3’).

Hilal controlled the tempo in the opening period and almost broke through when Abdullah Al-Hamdan unleashed a fierce shot that Rakan Al-Najjar tipped over for a corner (39’).

In stoppage time, the referee pointed to the spot, and Leonardo converted with confidence to give Hilal the lead.

The visitors continued to dominate after the break, with Brazilian Caio César spurning a golden chance from close range (53’).

Al-Okhdood nearly leveled against the run of play when Abdulaziz Al-Hatileh raced clear, but his tame effort was comfortably saved by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou (60’). Clear opportunities were scarce in the closing stages as Hilal calmly saw out the win.

Al-Shabab also advanced with a narrow 1-0 home victory over second-division side Al-Zulfi, courtesy of Belgian Yannick Carrasco’s penalty (35’).

Al-Qadsiah made a great comeback to beat Al-Hazm 3-1. Nawwaf Al-Habshi had given Hazm the lead (9’), but Qadsiah responded in style with goals from Italian Mateo Retegui (22’) and Mexican Julián Quiñones (54’, 63’ pen.).