King Cup

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Cristiano Ronaldo Karim Benzema

Ronaldo & Al-Nassr dumped out of cup by 10-man Al-Ittihad

Karim Benzema starred with a goal as reigning champions Al-Ittihad reached the quarter-final of the Saudi King's Cup of Champions after edging out Pro League leaders Al-Nassr 2-1 on Tuesday. Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane and Joao Felix had a night to forget as they failed to deliver in front of the goal despite dominating proceedings for the majority of the game with an extra player on the pitch.

FBL-HKG-KSA-SUPER CUP-NASSR-ITTIHAD

Al-Nassr boss explains why Ronaldo was left on bench vs Jeddah

Jorge Jesus has explained why he decided to leave Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench during Al-Nassr's Saudi King Cup of Champions round of 32 clash with Jeddah on Tuesday. In Ronaldo's absence, his compatriot Joao Felix starred for Al-Nassr as the Saudi giants beat Jeddah 4-0. Felix contributed with a goal and an assist to continue his dream start to life in Saudi Arabia.

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Frequently asked questions

Since the Conference League's inception in 2021, three teams have lifted the trophy: Roma, West Ham United, and the current champions, Olympiacos.

The newest format, introduced ahead of the 2024-25 season, features 36 teams, four more than in the previous format.

Mainz 05 midfielder Hong Hyun-seok and Gent captain Sven Kums have made 39 appearances each in the Conference League, making them the players with the most appearances in the competition.

As for top goalscorers, Arthur Cabral leads the list with 21 goals to his name, including those scored in the qualifying phase. However, without taking into account goals scored in the qualifying phase, three players have scored the joint-most goals in Conference League with 12 each to their names: Arthur Cabral, Eran Zahavi, and Vangelis Pavlidis.

Darian Males, Gavriel Kanichowsky, and Cristiano Biraghi have the most assists in Conference League history, registering eight assists each.

Veteran Spanish goalkeeper Pepe Reina, while playing for Villarreal in 2023, became the oldest player to feature in the Conference League at 40 years and 175 days.

Lille wonderkid Ayyoub Bouaddi holds the record as the Conference League's youngest-ever player at the tender age of 16 years and 3 days.

Stars such as Paulo Dybala, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Tammy Abraham, Declan Rice, Harry Kane, Ollie Watkins,Co Mario Gotze, Kasper Schmeichel, Cody Gakpo, Stephan El Shaarawy, James Maddison, Jonathan David, and Edin Dzeko have played in the Conference League.

Manuel Pellegrini, Jose Mourinho, Unai Emery, David Moyes, and Ange Postecoglou are among the most famous managers to have managed in the Conference League.