Al-Hilal's first football team continued its fierce pursuit of its traditional rival Al-Nasr for the top spot in the Saudi Professional League, achieving a valuable and well-deserved victory over its host Al-Kholoud with a score of 3-1, in the match that brought them together on Wednesday evening at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Buraidah, as part of the competitions of the twelfth round of the competition.
This match takes on special significance in the context of the fierce title race this season, as Saudi football witnesses unprecedented competition thanks to global influence and substantial club support. Reducing the points gap at this stage of the league is crucial for Al-Hilal, who are striving to regain their dominance and close the gap on league leaders Al-Nassr, thus raising the level of excitement and anticipation for the upcoming rounds both domestically and regionally.
First half details and turning point
Al-Hilal asserted their dominance from the opening minutes, threatening Al-Kholoud's goal on several occasions. Uruguayan Darwin Núñez nearly opened the scoring early, but a decisive defensive intervention in the 11th minute thwarted his effort. This was followed by a powerful shot from Frenchman Theo Hernandez that narrowly missed the post. The 37th minute proved pivotal when the referee showed a red card to Al-Kholoud's Abdulrahman Al-Dossari, forcing the home side to play the remainder of the match with ten men.
Al Hilal quickly took advantage of the numerical disadvantage, with Serbian Sergej Savic scoring the opening goal with a rocket shot in the 45th minute. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Al Khulood showed a high fighting spirit, managing to equalize in stoppage time of the first half through a penalty kick brilliantly executed by Argentinian Ramiro Enrique.
Hernandez shone and secured the three points
In the second half, Al-Hilal intensified their attacks, exploiting the spaces left by their opponents' numerical disadvantage. After several attempts, Frenchman Theo Hernandez finally made his mark, scoring the second goal in the 61st minute after a brilliant follow-up to Savic's shot, which was parried by the goalkeeper. Al-Kholoud tried to get back into the game with dangerous counter-attacks, but goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Rubaie dealt with them superbly.
Minutes before the end of the match, Hernandez returned to confirm Al-Zaeem’s superiority by scoring his second personal third goal in the 84th minute through a direct free kick that he executed perfectly, thus eliminating Al-Kholoud’s hopes of a comeback.
With this strategic victory, Al-Hilal raised its tally to 29 points, reducing the gap with the leader Al-Nasr to only two points, thus igniting the battle for the top spot, while Al-Kholoud's tally remained frozen at 9 points, dropping to thirteenth place, which puts it in a critical situation that requires correcting its course in the upcoming rounds.
