Al Ittihad did appear dominant with 64 percent ball possession and made 12 attempts, four of which were on goal. Meanwhile, Esperance only made one shot on target out of a total of seven.
That was the goal in the 26th minute and brought Esperance to a 1-0 lead. Oussama Bouguerra found the net through a hard right-footed kick that maximized a wild ball, and hit the top corner of Marcelo Grohe's goal.
Benzema then burst into action in the 35th minute when his run down the left tricked opponents and made it easy to send in a cross which Abderrazak Hamdalah headed in to make it 1-1.
The score lasted until halftime. Entering the second half, Al Ittihad was still dominant and trying to find a second goal as soon as possible.
Benzema finally got his name on the scoreboard in the 55th minute. Receiving the ball on the left side, Benzema made a cut-in and immediately shot from the front of the penalty box until the ball bounced into the left corner of Esperance's goal.
Al Ittihad tried to add another goal but until the end of the match, the score remained 2-1 for their victory. Meanwhile, Al Ittihad is at the top of Group A with three points, followed by Al Shorta from Egypt with the same points.
There are two more Saudi Arabian clubs in this event, namely Al Nassr and Al Hilal. Al Hilal only had a goalless draw against Al Ahlas Tripoli. Al Nassr will face fellow Saudi Arabian club Al Shabab, Friday (28/7) evening WIB.
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