Former Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema believes Kylian Mbappe must learn to play as a central striker in the Spanish capital because he cannot displace Vinicius Junior on the left wing.
Benzema pounced on a poor clearance to fire home from close range after 55 seconds and break Al Fateh striker Doris Salomo Fuakuputu's record set in the first final in 2013.
Al-Ittihad offered to loan the French striker to another club in the Saudi Pro League but he has refused, the source added.
Darmanin, a tough-talking right-winger with designs on the French presidency, criticised Benzema after the former France striker and 2022 Ballon d'Or winner posted on X (formerly Twitter) in mid-October in support of the inhabitants of Gaza, who, he claimed, were victims of "unjust bombardments" carried out by Israel in retaliation for the bloody Hamas attack of October 7.
When Karim Benzema joined Saudi Arabia's Al-Ittihad this year on a lucrative deal, a comfortable pre-retirement stint seemed assured for the Ballon d'Or winner.
Brazilian Romarinho, N'Golo Kante and Benzema scored in the first half to book their team's place in the second round.
Karim Benzema was lured by Saudi Arabia's "huge project" and the fact it is a Muslim country when he decided to end a trophy-laden stint with Real Madrid to move to Al-Ittihad, the French striker said on Wednesday.
Saudi media reported that Ballon d'Or winner Benzema, who did not score in their first two league matches, was annoyed with the way the Portuguese coach had treated him
Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival in January to play for Riyadh-based Al-Nassr is what first drew global attention to ongoing efforts to boost the Saudi Pro League.
Pressure on Neymar and Suarez grow with each match as Barcelona look to regain momentum and head the La Liga without Messi in their ranks.
Cristiano Ronaldo says he still dreams of finishing his career at Real Madrid and can see himself playing until he is 40.
Real Madrid moved top of La Liga as Karim Benzema struck in each half to earn the visitors a 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao at San Mames on Wednesday.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick in a 4-0 thrashing of 10-man Shakhtar Donetsk while Manchester United was beaten by PSV.
Cristiano Ronaldo led Real Madrid will battle for supremacy with Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi.
A virtuoso performance from Sergio Aguero led Argentina to a 7-0 friendly win over Bolivia in Houston.
Singer Rihanna is reportedly dating Real Madrid footballer Karim Benzema, and were seen enjoying dinner together at Santa Monica, New York.
