Al Ittihad underlined its dominance of Saudi football in 2024-25 as it beat Al Qadsiah 3-1 to win the King’s Cup in Jeddah. Less than a week after officially being crowned Saudi Pro League champion for the 10th time, Al Ittihad also added a 10th King’s Cup trophy – the first time in the club’s history that it has won both titles in the same season.
Al Ittihad captain Karim Benzema was his team’s hero as he scored twice in the final, while Agerian Houssem Aouar also netted for Laurent Blanc’s side. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had given Al Qadsiah some hope but Al Ittihad held out for a historic victory at King Abdullah Sports City, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman presenting Benzema and his teammates with the King’s Cup trophy.
Here, Al Arabiya English brings you Three Takeaways from Al Ittihad’s 3-1 King’s Cup final triumph over Al Qadsiah.
Al Ittihad makes history
Although Al Ittihad is widely regarded as the second most successful club – after its great rival Al Hilal – in the history of Saudi football, the Jeddah giant had surprisingly never claimed a Saudi Pro League and King’s Cup Double. The last chance Al Ittihad had to achieve the feat was back in 2009. Then coached by Argentine Gabriel Calderon, Al Ittihad lifted the Pro League title but was denied the Double by a rampant Al Shabab, which convincingly won the King’s Cup final 2009.
The same thing happened to Al Ittihad in 1982, when Al Hilal emerged as 3-1 victor in the King’s Cup final. Al Ittihad has also been prevented from winning the Double by circumstance. The King’s Cup was not played between 1991 and 2007, and during that time Al Ittihad managed to win both the Crown Prince’s Cup and Pro League titles in the same season on two occasions – 1997 and 2003; had the King’s Cup been held, Al Ittihad would have certainly been favorite to lift it.
But on Friday night, Al Ittihad’s fans could finally celebrate a maiden Pro League and King’s Cup Double. For Laurent Blanc, it was a third Double of his coaching career, having achieved the feat with PSG in 2015 and 2016. The former France captain also managed to do so as a player with Auxerre in 1996. Blanc had spoken ahead of the final about it being a “special kind of match” and Al Ittihad’s players delivered for their supporters – securing a first King’s Cup triumph since 2018. That the Double was completed at Al Ittihad’s own King Abdullah Sports City Stadium also made the night even sweeter for the club. “Al Ittihad fans in Jeddah are a vital part of this club’s identity,” Blanc said.
Benzema brings it home
On the pitch in Jeddah, it was Al Ittihad’s man for the big occasion who again came up with the goods. Benzema’s influence this season has been undeniable – both in his role as a senior leader in the dressing-room and with his performances on the pitch. When the pressure has been on in 2024-25, Benzema has consistently delivered. The ex-Real Madrid striker put Al Ittihad ahead in the 34th-minute, completing a move that also involved Moussa Diaby and Steven Bergwijn. That front three has been irrepressible for Al Ittihad over the past few months and it was apt that they combined for the opening goal of the final. Diaby released Bergwijn, whose cross found Benzema; the Al Ittihad captain improvised impressively to chest the ball past Al Qadsiah goalkeeper Koen Casteels.
Diaby and Benzema were involved again for Al Ittihad’s second nine minutes later. French winger Diaby stood the ball up for his compatriot, who saw his powerful header magnificently saved by Casteels. Sadly for the Belgian shot-stopper, his defense did not react quickly enough to prevent Houssem Aouar from stealing in at close range to nod home and double his team’s lead. It was the 13th goal of what has been the most prolific campaign of midfielder Aouar’s career to date.
Al Qadsiah reduced the arrears thanks to a penalty from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in first-half stoppage time but when midfielder Ezequiel Fernandez was red carded in the 81st minute, it left the team from Dammam facing an uphill battle to equalize. And in the 94th minute, Benzema struck again – with yet another clutch contribution for his team. Once more it was Diaby who provided the assist, enabling Benzema to sweep the ball past Casteels for the 25th goal of a magnificent season for Al Ittihad’s No. 9. It was fitting that Benzema, this week named Saudi Pro League Player of the Year, was the man to put the exclamation point on Al Ittihad’s historic Double triumph.
Heartbreak for Al Qadsiah
Nine months ago, Al Qadsiah was a newly promoted side whose primary goal was to stay in the Saudi Pro League in its first season back in the top flight. But led by savvy Spaniard Michel, Al Qadsiah has defied expectations from day one – staying around the Pro League’s top three for almost the entirety of the campaign. This was chiefly thanks to a series of intelligent summer 2024 signings – including defender Nacho Fernandez from Real Madrid, goalkeeper Koen Casteels from Wolfsburg, and forwards Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Julián Quiñones from Marseille and Club America respectively.
The latter pair have been sensational for Al Qadsiah. Quiñones finished the season on 25 goals from 33 games and ended as the King’s Cup top scorer with five goals. Aubameyang managed 21 in 36 across all competitions and scored in every round of the King’s Cup in which he played – netting Al Qadsiah’s winner in the semifinal and also bagging in the final. Aubameyang’s coolly-taken penalty in Jeddah looked to have helped his team get back into the game, before Benzema’s second broke Al Qadsiah hearts.
As one of the most consistent sides in Saudi Arabia in 2024-24, a maiden King’s Cup title would have been a fitting reward for a fine season for Michel and his players. Al Qadsiah has made a significant impression on the Kingdom’s football landscape this season – competing successfully with the PIF-owned ‘big four’ of Al Ittihad, Al Hilal, Al Nassr and Al Ahli. But it finishes the campaign empty handed. A defeat to Al Hilal last week meant Al Nassr pipped Al Qadsiah to third place in the Pro League; the loss to Al Ittihad means it will be Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr, not Al Qadsiah, now competing in the AFC Champions League Two in 2025-26. Still, Al Qadsiah will now regroup and with further smart additions in the coming months, there is no reason that the club cannot be a contender for major trophies again next season.
