Al Hilal Secures the Top Spot in the Saudi Arabian Pro League with a Victory Over Al Shabab
Al Hilal clinched a crucial 2-0 win against their rivals, Al Shabab, with goals from Kalidou Koulibaly and Aleksandar Mitrović. Read about the match highlights and its impact on the Saudi Arabian Pro League standings.
Introduction
In a high-stakes match in the Saudi Arabian Pro League, Al Hilal continued their impressive run by securing a vital 2-0 victory over their local rivals, Al Shabab. This intense clash took place at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium in Riyadh as part of the eighth round of matches in the league.
Al Hilal‘s Senegalese midfielder, Kalidou Koulibaly, opened the scoring in the 68th minute, followed by a goal from Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrović in the 76th minute. These goals solidified Al Hilal’s position at the top of the league table, one point ahead of their closest competitors, Al Ittihad and Al Taawoun. Meanwhile, Al Shabab remains in the eleventh position with 8 points.
First Half
The first half of the match saw Al Hilal launching relentless attacks against Al Shabab’s defense. Cristiano Ronaldo missed two opportunities in the opening fifteen minutes of the game.
In the 23rd minute, the referee initially awarded a penalty to Al Hilal, citing a handball by Hussein Al-Qahtani, an Al Shabab player. However, after consulting the VAR system, the referee overturned the decision.
Another penalty opportunity came Al Hilal’s way in the 37th minute when Iago Santos fouled Al Hilal’s player, Sergej Milinković-Savić. Neymar stepped up to take the penalty but failed to convert it.