The name of the French striker Karim Benzema from Al-Ittihad stood out alongside four players from Al-Hilal in the best XI of the fifth round of the 2025-26 AFC Champions League Elite, according to the evaluation by SofaScore.

Benzema managed to score two goals despite Al-Ittihad's 4-2 loss to Qatar's Al-Duhail in an exciting match within the West Group of the continental tournament.

Al Hilal delivered a strong performance, overwhelming the Iraqi Police team with a clean 4-0 victory, while defending champions Al Ahli Jeddah suffered a surprising 1-0 defeat against Sharjah.

The round also witnessed Al Wahda of the UAE defeating Al Sadd of Qatar 3-1, in addition to Shabab Al Ahli's 2-0 victory over Al Gharafa.

The selected lineup included five players from Saudi clubs: Benzema from Al-Ittihad, as well as the Portuguese João Cancelo, the Turkish Yusuf Akçişik, the Serbian Sergej Savić, and the Brazilian Marcos Leonardo from Al-Hilal.

The ideal team of the round was composed of:

Goalkeeping: Patrick Beach (Melbourne City)

Defense: Iago Santos (Shabab Al Ahli), Yusuf Akçişik (Al Hilal), Tetsushi Yamakawa (Vissel Kobe)

Midfielders: Sergej Savić (Al Hilal), Lingard (Seoul), Tadić (Al Wahda)

Attack: Marcus Leonardo (Al Hilal), Karim Benzema (Al Ittihad), Adel Boulbina (Al Duhail)

These names were chosen following the remarkable performance of Saudi and Asian players, reflecting the intensity of the competition and the high level of performance ahead of the conclusion of the group stage.