NAJRAN — Karim Benzema quickly distinguished himself at Al Hilal, scoring a sensational debut hat-trick to lead Roshun Saudi League leaders to an emphatic 6-0 victory over Al Okdoud.
The French striker, donning Al Hilal blue for the first time, scored three goals and provided one assist to win the Man of the Match award in a statement performance that underlined why the Riyadh club moved so quickly to secure his signature earlier this week.
First match against Al Hilal, first man of the match award – Karim Benzema scores a hat-trick against Al Okdoud. (SPL)
After the match, Benzema said: “I’m happy.” “I’m happy that I played well. I’m grateful to all the fans. We need them every game. They’re good to me – they give me everything, so when I’m on the pitch I give everything back to them.”
The former Al Ittihad captain, who helped them win last season’s league title and King’s Cup in Jeddah, has signed a one-and-a-half year contract with the champions for the 2023-24 season and took just 31 minutes to announce his arrival.
Benzema scored the opening goal with a deft backheel finish after pouncing on a loose ball inside the penalty area, capping off an assured opener in which he already looked fully integrated into Al Hilal’s attacking rhythm.
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His hat-trick came just after the hour mark in quick succession. First an easy finish from Malcolm’s pullback doubled their lead, before captain Salem Al Dausari added a third with a similar shot.
Benzema then turned provider and scored for Malcom as Salem added two more goals to seal a comprehensive victory in Najran.
With this win, leaders Al Hilal extended their lead over second-placed Al Ahly to three points and could close the gap if Al Nasr beat Al Ittihad in the eye-catching match of Match Week 21.
Still, the night belonged to Benzema.
“It was an important game,” said Rosun, the current Saudi League Player of the Season. “We played well and scored a clean sheet, so I’m happy.”
