Historic Sakala goal ends Al Ittihad winning run | OneFootball

Al Ittihad dropped points for the first time since Matchweek 4 to relinquish the Roshn Saudi League top spot after falling to a 1-1 draw against Al Fayha at King Abdullah Sports City in Buraidah on Saturday.

A cagey first half gave way to one of the most eventful second halves of the RSL season, with Laurent Blanc’s men squandering the chance to take the lead twice before coming from behind to pick up a point on the road.

Twelve minutes into the second period, Al Ittihad were awarded a penalty after Spanish midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo handled the ball inside his own penalty area. Karim Benzema stepped up, hoping to move within one goal of 2024-25 top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic, but Al Fayha goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera produced a fine save to deny the Frenchman.

Benzema then came within a whisker of making amends in the 65th minute when he advanced down the left and aimed for the far corner with a lobbed effort, only for his attempt to pass inches wide off the post.

Four minutes before the end of normal time, Al Fayha found themselves conceding another penalty when Chris Smalling caught a cross inside the box with his elbow. This time, it was another former Olympique Lyon star who took his chance to score from 12 yards. However, Houssem Aouar’s attempt met the same fate as Benzema’s, with Mosquera once more coming up trumps.

Al Ittihad’s woes were soon compounded when Fashion Sakala produced a moment of magic to create history in the first minute of added time. The Zambian forward embarked on a jinking run from inside his own half, beating Abdulelah Hawsawi and dancing past Danilo Pereira to arrive into the Al Ittihad area.

From there, he drilled with his left into the bottom corner for the game's opener. The goal not only gave Al Fayha the lead, but it lifted Sakala past Ronnie Fernandez and Danilo Asprilla to become the club's all-time top scorer in the RSL, with 24 goals.

With Al Ittihad’s top spot at risk, they threw everything at their opponents and were able to draw level two minutes later. Steven Bergwijn advanced down the left flank and delivered a cross towards the far post, where right-back Fawas Al Saqour controlled and struck into the back of the net for the equaliser.

The final whistle announced the spoils have been shared, with Al Ittihad now caught at the top by Al Hilal, who eclipsed them as RSL leaders thanks to a superior goal difference. Meanwhile, second-from-bottom Al Fayha move a point closer to safety, the gap to 15th-placed Al Okhdood narrowing to three points.