Saudi Gazette report

ABU DHABI — Al Ittihad secured its place in the final of the Diriyah Saudi Super Cup following a win against Al Wehda with a score of 2-1 in the semi-final match held at Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Defending champions Al Ittihad clinched the victory through goals by Karim Benzema and Moroccan striker Abdulrazak Hamdallah, marking their advance to the final, to be held at Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium on Thursday.

Al Ittihad didn't take long to find the back of the net, with French star Karim Benzema scoring in the 55th second, recording the fastest goal in the history of the Saudi Super Cup matches, highlighting his return to form after a period of absence.

Just before the end of the first half, Moroccan Abdulrazak Hamdallah converted a pass from Brazilian Romarinho to double Al Ittihad's lead.

Despite Al Wehda's aggressive start to the second half and attempts to close the gap, Al Ittihad's goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Mayouf showcased brilliance in stopping Anselmo's shot, after a previous attempt that hit the crossbar.

Al Ittihad then focused on counter-attacks and came close to increasing their lead on several occasions, with the most notable being Hamdallah's chance set up by Romarinho, which went over the bar.

Al Wehda missed a golden opportunity to reduce the deficit after being awarded a penalty in the final minutes of the match, which Faisal Fajr failed to convert.

Hussein Al Issa of Al Wehda managed to score in the seventh minute of stoppage time, but it was too late for his team to level the score.

Al Ittihad moved to the tournament final in a match that also saw the return of their player Hamed Al-Ghamdi from a long injury absence, with coach Gallardo bringing him on in the second half to prepare him for the final.