Karim Benzema was held scoreless and Cristiano Ronaldo was absent with an injury, but there were still plenty of big names making their mark as the opening round of the Saudi Arabian league wrapped up on Monday. Benzema had an assist as defending champion Al-Ittihad won 3-0 at Al-Raed while Ronaldo's Al-Nassr lost 2-1 to Steven Gerrard’s Ettifaq, giving the English coach a winning debut. Gerrard watched as Al-Nassr took an early lead through another former Liverpool star, Sadio Mane, just one of several big names to arrive in the country ahead of the new season, lured by the massive salaries on offer from the Saudi teams.
Al Ettifaq fact file - The club with Steven Gerrard at the helm and Jordan Henderson in midfield hitc.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from hitc.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Saudi Arabia Buys Turkish Drones menafn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from menafn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.