“Sergej Milinkovic Savic breaks the deadlock for Al Hilal, converting to make it 1-0 after a period of sustained pressure that included a saved Lazaro Vinicius Marques shot and a missed attempt from Fashion Sakala.”
Pivotal“Sultan Mandash doubles Al Hilal's lead in stoppage time at the end of the first half, assisted by Kalidou Koulibaly, effectively ending Al-Fayha's hopes of a comeback before the second half had even begun.”
Pivotal“Al-Fayha's goalkeeper denies Crysencio Summerville from the penalty spot, a rare moment of resistance from the hosts in what had been an otherwise unrelenting Al Hilal performance.”
“Nasser Al-Dawsari, introduced as a substitute just ten minutes earlier, puts the gloss on the victory with a third goal deep in stoppage time to complete a comprehensive Al Hilal win.”
Al-Fayha
Al Hilal
Outstanding performance
Al Hilal•MidfielderAl Hilal were in complete control from the first whistle, finishing the match with 61% possession, 25 shots and a staggering 13 big chances created compared to Al-Fayha's none — a statistical mismatch that told the full story of the evening. Sergej Milinkovic Savic broke the deadlock in the 31st minute, and the tie was all but buried in the dying seconds of the first half when Sultan Mandash headed home — assisted by Kalidou Koulibaly — to make it 2-0 right on the stroke of half-time, a gut-punch that drained any remaining belief from the hosts. Al-Fayha's goalkeeper kept the scoreline respectable early on, making seven saves across the match, but Al Hilal's quality was simply too much to contain for ninety minutes. Nasser Al-Dawsari, introduced from the bench in the 78th minute, wrapped up the result with a third goal in the 88th minute, rounding off a thoroughly professional performance that moves Al Hilal to the top of the form table and underlines their title credentials in the Pro League.
How entertaining was this match?
Nasser Al-DawsariNasser Al-Dawsari scores with a left-footed shot.
Nasser Al-Dawsari takes a left-footed shot, but it's saved.
Goal! Nasser Al-Dawsari scores, making it 0-3.
Substitution: Ahmed Bamsaud comes on for Mohammed Al Baqawi.
Mansoor Al-Bishi comes on for Alfa Semedo.
Mishaal Al Dawood is on, and Ali Al-Oujami is off.
Substitution: Sabri Dahal comes on for Sultan Mandash.
Nawaf Al-Habashi comes on for Crysencio Summerville.
Sultan Mandash takes a shot with his right foot, but it is saved.
Fashion Sakala's right-footed shot is saved.
Crysencio Summerville takes a shot with his right foot, but it hits the post.
Crysencio SummervillePenalty saved! Crysencio Summerville's shot is stopped.
Nasser Al-Dawsari comes on for Ruben Neves.
Karim Benzema attempts a header but misses the shot.
Karim Benzema attempted a header but missed the shot.
Shot by Mohamed Kanno with his right foot is saved.
Crysencio Summerville takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Hugo Moura Arruda da Silva takes a right-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Shot by Hugo Moura Arruda da Silva with his right foot is blocked.
On Theo Hernandez, off Moteb Al Harbi.
Silvere Ganvoula Mboussy comes on for Lazaro Vinicius Marques.
Crysencio Summerville takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Crysencio Summerville takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Sergej Milinkovic Savic takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Hugo Moura Arruda da Silva takes a right-footed shot, but it is saved.
Hugo Moura Arruda da Silva takes a left-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Ruben Neves takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Karim Benzema's right-footed shot is blocked.
Sergej Milinkovic Savic takes a shot with his head, but it's saved.
Corner awarded.
Corner awarded.
Alfa Semedo takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Sultan MandashSultan Mandash takes a shot with his left foot and scores.
assist: Kalidou Koulibaly
Goal! Sultan Mandash scores, making it 0-2, assisted by Kalidou Koulibaly.
Fahad Alhubayshi is on, and Abdullah Al Qahtani is off.
Substitution: Ali Al Hussain comes on for Nawaf Al-Harthi.
Offside.
Offside.
First half ends with the score at 0-1.
Offside.
Kalidou Koulibaly attempts a header but misses the shot.
Corner awarded.
Corner awarded.
Ali Al-Oujami takes a shot with his head, but it is saved.
Ali Al-Oujami takes a shot with his head, but it's saved.
Corner awarded.
Sultan Mandash takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Shot by Sergej Milinkovic Savic with his right foot results in a goal.
Crysencio Summerville takes a right-footed shot, but it's saved.
Kalidou Koulibaly takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Goal! Sergej Milinkovic Savic scores to make it 1-0.
Fashion SakalaYellow CardFashion Sakala receives a yellow card.
Fashion Sakala takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Lazaro Vinicius Marques takes a right-footed shot, but it is saved.
Mohamed Kanno takes a shot with his head, but it is saved.
Mohamed Kanno's header is saved.
Sultan Mandash takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Lazaro Vinicius Marques takes a right-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Kick-off has occurred!
Al Hilal arrive at Al Majma'ah riding early-season momentum after a 4-2 opening-day win, while Al-Fayha are looking to bounce back from a 2-0 defeat. With one of the most one-sided head-to-head records in the Saudi Pro League, the hosts face a formidable task against a squad packed with world-class talent.
