Romarinho and Benzema score and Al Ittihad advances to the Club World Cup

The representative of Saudi Arabia (host country) in the competition beat Auckland without much effort, 3-0, in the competition opener

Without the slightest difficulty, Al Ittihad won the opening match of the 2023 Club World Cup on Tuesday (12/12), 3-0 over Auckland City. The match at the King Abdullah Stadium in Jeddah. Brazilian striker Romarinho (formerly Corinthians), the best on the pitch, opened the scoring. The French Kanté and Benzema improve in the first half. In the final phase, the Arabs missed opportunities. But, after 20 minutes, they let the time pass.

Thus, with the victory, Al Ittihad advances to the next stage. This Friday (15/12), at 15:00 (GMT), in the quarter-finals, they will face Al Ahly, once again at King Abdullah. It will be in this match that we will meet our rivals Fluminense in the semi-final of the competition.

Romarinho opens the door

Romarinho was the right man in the first half. After all, he made the best moves, fed his teammates and almost opened the scoring with a shot from the left. But he leaves his side in the 29th minute, scoring a cross from the left. The ball also hit defender Lobo, fooling goalkeeper Tracey. And the former Corinthians almost widened, with a beautiful shot, in fact, but which Tracey blocked. The Brazilian opened the door. Aukland also had the ball (45%), but no offensive strength. However, Itii had missed clear chances before the goal came. Benzema (twice) and Coronado missed goals.

Al Ittihad expands

At 35, Kante has not failed. After a corner from the left and a rebound from the defense, the Frenchman sends a bomb from outside the area to make it 2-0. Easy and Benzema leaves him in the 40th minute. In an action in which Kanté plays with a heel for the full-back Al Shanquiti who crosses for the French who send it into the net.

Nothing changed in the second half. After all, we saw Auckland without an attacking force. But with Itti the opportunities were missed. Coronado, Benzema and Al Ghamdi waste good opportunities before the 15th minute. With time and substitutions, the Arab team began to manage the result, preparing already on Friday to face the Egyptians of Al Ahly, the African champions.

Understanding the World Cup

Ittihad participated in the competition as a representative of the host country. Auckland City qualified as Oceania champions. They played the only match in the first phase. In the quarterfinals they will play against Ah Ahly. In this way, whoever wins will face Fluminense in the semi-final. In the other quarter-final match, Urawa Reds (Japanese champion of the Asian Champions League) and León (Mexican champion of the Concacaf Champions League) play. This match will be Manchester City’s opponent in the semi-final.

Al Ittihad 3×0 Auckland City

First phase of the Club World Cup

Date: 12/12/2023

Local: King Abdullah Sport City Stadium, Jeddah SAU)

Al Ittihad: Marcelo Grohe; Alshanqiti, Kadesh, Hegazy and Zakaria Hawsawi (Bamasud, 39’/2nd Q); Kante (Amri, 32’/2nd Q), Fabinho and Al-Ghamdi (Sahafi, 39’/2nd Q); Coronado (Al Farhan, 32’/2nd Q), Romarinho (Jota, 13’/2nd Q) and Benzema. Technician: Marcelo Gallardo.

Auckland City: Tracey; Morati (Kilkolly, 37’/2nd Q), Vale, Den Heijer, Gray (Mitchell, 37’/2nd Q) and Lobo; Gilbert Garriga (Lee, 10’/2ndQ), Ilich (Zhou, 22’/2ndQ), Howieson and Manickum (Tade, 22’/2ndQ); Gillian. Technician: Alberto Riera.

Goals: Romarinho, 29’/1st Q (1-0); Kanté, 35’/1st Q (2-0); Benzema, 40’/2nd Q (3-0)

Referee: Tori Penso (United States)

Assistants: Brooke Mayo and Kathryn Nesbitt (both US)

VAR: Gustavo Guszman (GUA)

Yellow cards:-

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Source: Terra

Rose

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.