Late Bassogog thunderbolt pegs back Al Ittihad as RSL title race takes new twist | OneFootball

Christian Bassogog scored a record deep into injury-time on Sunday night to hold Roshn Saudi League leaders Al Ittihad to a draw as the title race took another dramatic turn.

Al Ittihad went into the Matchweek 23 encounter in Jeddah seeking to increase their lead at the summit over champions Al Hilal to eight points with 11 rounds remaining.

The 2022-23 title winners looked set to do just that when Houssem Aouar opened the scoring at Alinma Stadium six minutes before half-time.

The Algerian, who has been inspired in his debut season in the RSL, received a pass from Hassan Kadesh outside the Al Okhdood penalty area, spun past his marker, and then drove forward before firing a low, left-footed shot past visiting goalkeeper Paulo Vitor. It marked Aouar’s 10th RSL goal this term.

In the second half, Al Ittihad seemed set to add to their lead, with first the upright denying captain Karim Benzema a 17th league goal of 2024-25.

Then, not long after the hour mark, a combination of a superb save from Vitor and an even better goalline clearance from Juan Sebastian Pedroza deprived the Frenchman of a second goal for his team.

The hosts were left to rue those missed opportunities deep into stoppage-time, when in the 97th minute, an Al Okhdood corner fell to Bassogog on the edge of the home penalty area. The Cameroonian met the ball first time to thrash an unstoppable shot into the top corner.

The result means Al Ittihad have drawn their past two matches following their emphatic victory against Al Hilal in the Saudi Clasico in Matchweek 21, with the gap at the top now six points.

Al Qadsiah, meanwhile, are only seven back following their late 1-0 win on Sunday at home to Al Riyadh. The promoted club sit third, three points ahead of both Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in fourth and fifth-placed Al Ahli.

For Al Okhdood, the point could prove pivotal to their hopes of avoiding relegation. The Narjan side, who had Paulo Sergio taking charge of his first game as manager, stay second bottom, but are only one point behind 16th-placed Al Raed and two from Al Fateh in 15th.