Al-Ittihad Defeats Inter Milan in Pre-Season Preparations

Al-Ittihad Jeddah won over Inter Milan with a 2-0 victory in a friendly match held at the “U Power Stadium” in Italy, marking a positive step in their preparations for the upcoming season.

Al-Ittihad’s French coach, Laurent Blanc, placed his trust in new Serbian goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic, despite Rajkovic only having participated in training for two days after joining the team.

Al-Ittihad netted their first goal in the 25th minute of the first half, thanks to Frenchman Moussa Diaby, who capitalized on a pass by Algerian player Houssem Aouar.

The second goal came in the 47th minute, again by Diaby, who seized an opportunity after the Inter goalkeeper blocked a powerful shot from Ahmed Al-Ghamdi.

In the second half, Blanc made several substitutions, bringing on Frenchman N’Golo Kante, Portuguese player Jota, Marwan Al-Sahafi, Faisal Al-Ghamdi, and Saleh Al-Shehri. These changes contributed to securing a notable victory over the Italian champions. Prior to this match, Al-Ittihad had kicked off their pre-season under new coach Blanc with a 0-2 defeat against Elche during their training camp in Alicante, Spain.

In their second match, the Saudi team lost to Sevilla by a single goal in the Antonio Puerta Cup. In the third match, “Al Amid” fell to the Portuguese club Farense 1-3, and suffered another defeat to Real Betis 1-4.

Al-Ittihad finish their foreign camp with a win against Inter before returning to Saudi Arabia, where they will face Al-Qadisiyah in a friendly match just before the new season 2024-2025 begins.

According to Saudi media, Luiz Felipe, Al-Ittihad player, sustained a severe injury during the match. Meanwhile, captain Karim Benzema continued to struggle with converting chances, a trend that has plagued him since last season.

Benzema’s misfortune was evident when he missed a clear opportunity during the friendly against Inter Milan. In the 38th minute, he received an excellent cross from Diaby near the penalty spot but failed to convert it into a goal, shooting wide near the right post.

Previously, Benzema missed a penalty in a friendly against Sevilla on July 27. He is eager to break his scoring drought before the new season starts, as Al-Ittihad is relying heavily on his experience and skill in their bid to reclaim the Saudi League title.