NAJRAN — Karim Benzema wasted no time making his mark at Al Hilal, delivering a sensational debut hat-trick to power the Roshn Saudi League leaders to a dominant 6–0 win over Al Okhdood.Wearing Al Hilal blue for the first time, the French striker scored three times, provided an assist and collected the Man of the Match award in a statement performance that underlined why the Riyadh club moved swiftly to secure his signature earlier this week. **media[2658490]** “I’m happy,” Benzema said after the match. “I’m happy because I play well. Thank you to all the fans. We need them every game. Everybody is good for 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 deliver last season’s league title and the King’s Cup in Jeddah, signed a 1.5-year deal with the 2023–24 champions and needed just 31 minutes to announce his arrival.Benzema opened the scoring with a clever backheel finish after pouncing on a loose ball inside the penalty area, a goal that capped an assured opening spell in which he already looked fully integrated into Al Hilal’s attacking rhythm.His hat-trick was completed shortly after the hour mark in quick succession. First, he doubled the lead with a simple finish from a pull-back by Malcom, before adding his third moments later from a similar delivery by captain Salem Al-Dawsari.Benzema then turned provider, teeing up Malcom, while Salem added two more goals to complete a comprehensive victory in Najran.The win extended Al Hilal’s lead at the top of the table to three points ahead of second-placed Al Ahli, with Al Nassr able to cut the gap should they beat Al Ittihad in Matchweek 21’s marquee clash.Still, the night belonged to Benzema.“It was an important game,” the reigning Roshn Saudi League Player of the Season said. “We played well, kept a clean sheet and scored goals. So we are happy.”
NAJRAN — Karim Benzema wasted no time making his mark at Al Hilal, delivering a sensational debut hat-trick to power the Roshn Saudi League leaders to a dominant 6–0 win over Al Okhdood.Wearing Al Hilal blue for the first time, the French striker scored three times, provided an assist and collected the Man of the Match award in a statement performance that underlined why the Riyadh club moved swiftly to secure his signature earlier this week. **media[2658490]** “I’m happy,” Benzema said after the match. “I’m happy because I play well. Thank you to all the fans. We need them every game. Everybody is good for 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 deliver last season’s league title and the King’s Cup in Jeddah, signed a 1.5-year deal with the 2023–24 champions and needed just 31 minutes to announce his arrival.Benzema opened the scoring with a clever backheel finish after pouncing on a loose ball inside the penalty area, a goal that capped an assured opening spell in which he already looked fully integrated into Al Hilal’s attacking rhythm.His hat-trick was completed shortly after the hour mark in quick succession. First, he doubled the lead with a simple finish from a pull-back by Malcom, before adding his third moments later from a similar delivery by captain Salem Al-Dawsari.Benzema then turned provider, teeing up Malcom, while Salem added two more goals to complete a comprehensive victory in Najran.The win extended Al Hilal’s lead at the top of the table to three points ahead of second-placed Al Ahli, with Al Nassr able to cut the gap should they beat Al Ittihad in Matchweek 21’s marquee clash.Still, the night belonged to Benzema.“It was an important game,” the reigning Roshn Saudi League Player of the Season said. “We played well, kept a clean sheet and scored goals. So we are happy.”
