Al-Ittihad returned to winning ways in the Saudi Pro League with a 2-1 win against Al-Riyadh at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium. Karim Benzema scored for the first time in the league since his hat-trick in the opening game of the 2025-26 season before Mohammed Al Khaibari's own-goal doubled their advantage, but Moussa Diaby's red card led to a frantic finish after Mamadou Sylla's 77th-minute strike.