Ilenikhena scores in back-to-back Al-Ittihad games

George Ilenikhena scored in back-to-back games for Al-Ittihad as his strong form in the Saudi Pro League continued.

The Super Eagles striker scored the opener in the 30th minute of Al-Ittihad’s 2-0 win over Al-Diriyah at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah in the 11th round. It came three days after he scored and provided an assist in the 4-1 win over Al-Ettifaq.

Ilenikhena pounced on a rebound after the goalkeeper parried a shot from his teammate Rios, and the goal stood after a VAR review. Georginio Wijnaldum sealed the win with a penalty in the 77th minute.

Al-Ittihad introduced Youssef En-Nesyri and Dion Lopy after the break, while Al-Diriyah threw on Darwin Nunez without success. The result lifted Al-Ittihad to 21 points and fourth in the table, as they chase Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal.

Against Al-Ettifaq on Tuesday, Ilenikhena was named Man of the Match. He played for 73 minutes before En-Nesyri replaced him and scored twice late on. The win ended a run of two straight defeats: a 3-2 loss to Al-Hilal on October 10 and a 2-1 loss to Shabab Al-Ahli.

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The former Monaco forward missed the first game with a fitness concern and returned from a minor injury for the second.

“It is very important for us to win this game after losing two games. It is very important to react, and we reacted in the best way, so we are very happy,” he told the Saudi press.

Ilenikhena has now scored or provided an assist in each of his last five league appearances. He has eight goals and three assists in eight starts this season, which makes 11 goal contributions from those games alone.

He has played 12 matches for the club in all competitions, one of them off the bench.

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