Saudi Pro League: Opportunity knocks for Jota after Karim Benzema blow for Al Ittihad

Going into their Saudi Pro League match against Al Hilal on Monday, Steven Gerrard’s Al Ettifaq were flying high off the back of two wins including a famous 2-1 victory over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in their season opener.

The side that had last won the league title in 1987 were close to the top of the table, after securing seven points from three games just like their unbeaten opponents.

Then came the bad news for the former Rangers boss. Al Ettifaq had to make do without their star striker Moussa Dembele and reliable centre-back Marcel Tisserand, who both failed to recover from injuries sustained in the previous match. Things went from bad to worse for the side from Dammam inside ten minutes of their game against Al Hilal as creative winger Vitinho had to be carried off with a hamstring injury.

The Portuguese winger had been a vital cog in Al Ettifaq’s attacking machine under Gerrard in the opening games. It was his smartly executed free-kick under the wall that secured a point in the derby against Al Khaleej a few days earlier, and he was involved in both goals in the 2-0 win over Al Hazem, setting up Robin Quaison’s opener before scoring the second himself with a drilled effort from the edge of the area.

The impact of Vitinho’s absence was instantly felt as Al Ettifaq struggled to create chances and failed to score for 90 minutes for the first time this season and fell to their first defeat with Al Hilal striking twice through Malcom and Salem Al Dawsari.

Since his arrival in Dammam, Gerrard has imposed a strict physical regime on the squad, with footage of his players collapsing on the pitch during pre-season training going viral online. And while his team did look physically superior to their opponents in the