French forward Karim Benzema made his debut for Al-Ittihad against Esperance Tunis in the Arab Club Champions Cup yesterday and marked the occasion with some style. The Frenchman showed off not only his link-up play and facilitation skills by setting up Abderrazak Hamdallah with an assist but also showed why he was the best striker in the world by producing a debut goal for the ages. Benzema hit the ball from the edge of the box that lobbed it into the back of the net. The quality of the finish along with Al-Ittihad’s white away kits made fans reminisce about the star striker’s Real Madrid career.
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Benzema seemed to produce the goal out of nothing. Getting the ball in the opponent’s half of the field, and without much space to run into, the striker even faced an odd angle towards the goal. Lacking enough time to find another pass without losing the ball, Benzema decided to go for the long shot. Of course, with his finishing ability and confidence, the ball rocketed into the net for a stunning maiden goal.
Watch the video here:
Benzema makes debut alongside N’Golo Kante and Jota
Benzema is joined at Al-Ittihad by defensive midfielder N’Golo Kante and Portuguese winger Jota. Kante has won everything in football, including the World Cup with France in 2018, the Premier League with Leicester and Chelsea in 2016 and 2017 respectively, and the European Cup with Chelsea in 2021. He is one of the greatest holding midfielders in the sport’s history known for his tenacity and ball-winning ability.
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Whereas Jota joined from Celtic for a fee of around GBP 25 million. The young forward had 21 goals in 66 matches for the Scottish champions. Al-Ittihad will look to further their success in the Arab Club Championship Cup, a competition they won before in 2004, with a trio of star signings.
