KHOBAR: Al-Hazem were centimeters away from what might have been the Saudi Pro League upset of the season so far when, in the 84th minute, with the game still goalless, Ahmed Al-Shamrani found himself sent through on goal behind Al-Hilal’s defense.
The pass from Aboubacar Bah was perfectly weighted, beating the offside trap and putting Al-Shamrani in the perfect position in front of Yassine Bounou. The winger lobbed the ball over the goalkeeper, only for his effort to go narrowly wide of the post.
Five minutes later, Gabriel Martinelli delivered the dagger to Al-Hazem’s heart, when it was he and not one of the more usual suspects — Ollie Watkins, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic or Mohammed Kanno — who rose to meet Mohammed Mahzari’s cross with his head. The ball hit the net, ending Al-Hilal’s prolonged hunt for an elusive goal against surprisingly resilient mid-table opposition, and Kingdom Arena in Riyadh erupted in roars of celebration.
The encounter began with a heavy Al-Hilal onslaught; Al-Hazem’s goalkeeper, Jindrich Stanek, was forced into a fingertip save in the sixth minute, then Martinelli hit the crossbar moments later. The movement of Al-Hilal’s front three seemed like it would torment Al-Hazem’s back five no end, but to their credit, head coach Jalel Kaderi’s side stood firm for the majority of the game.
Their 5-4-1 formation prevented the hosts from finding much breathing space in midfield but that did not mean Al-Hilal did not create chances. In fact, Al-Hazem were rarely able to make forays up the pitch, with a single transition midway through the first half their only threat toward goal before the break.
Al-Hilal, meanwhile, threw everything they had in their arsenal at the opposition as they battled to maintain top spot in the league.
Two good saves by Stanek in the 40th minute left them frustrated, however. First, a Kanno header released Kalidou Koulibaly in front of goal, only for the Senegalese defender’s effort to strike the keeper’s shoulder and deflect over the bar. Then the Czech goalkeeper punched away a Kanno shot from the resultant corner, leaving the sides level after the opening 45.
Al-Hilal thought they had finally gained the upper hand in the 66th minute when Martinelli released Watkins with a low cross and the Englishman tapped in. However, a review by the video assistant referee ruled Watkins was offside.
Al-Hilal head coach Simone Inzaghi waited until the 76th minute to make his first substitutions. But around that time, an emboldened Al-Hazem saw an opportunity to expose the gaps behind Al-Hilal’s defense as they moved further forward in search of a winner.
The aforementioned Al-Shamrani chance was their best effort, however, and when it was squandered, it seemed unlikely they would get another. To add to their misery, Al-Hilal then stole victory in the dying moments.
Martinelli was substituted shortly after scoring his goal and left the pitch to an ovation — but the cheers were even louder for his replacement, club icon Salem Al-Dawsari, as he returned to action for the first time since undergoing surgery for a knee-tendon injury he picked up during the summer at the 2026 World Cup.
Elsewhere, Artem Bondarenko was the unlikely hero for visiting Al-Ahli in the absence of Ivan Toney, who missed their game against Al-Fayha through injury. On a night where his side struggled against a team with just seven points from their first nine games, he scored twice to secure the three points in a narrow 3-2 victory.
Al-Fayha took the lead on the brink of half-time when Hugo Moura drove through Al-Ahli’s midfield and launched a strike from range that goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al-Sanbi had no chance of saving.
Three minutes into stoppage time, however, Bondarenko headed the equalizer after a well-placed cross from left-back Saad Balobaid.
Al-Ahli took the lead in the 59th minute courtesy of a Feras Al-Brikan penalty, but Jason responded with a stunning free-kick in the 65th minute to bring parity once again. That did not last long, however; in the 70th minute, Bondarenko saw an opening in the box after a scramble and poked the ball into the net to seal the win.
Alexandre Mendy was once again the hero for Al-Faisaly as his 79th minute goal rescued a point against hosts Al-Shabab that keeps them (just) clear of the relegation zone.
After his hat-trick gave his team a 3-2 victory over Al-Kholood on Thursday, their first win of the season, his goal on Monday completed a comeback after Al-Shabab had gone 2-0 up inside the first 30 minutes, Josh Brownhill scoring both goals.
Andrei Girotto’s header got Al-Faisaly back into the game shortly before halftime, and then Mendy’s effort made it 2-2.
On Tuesday, Diriyah face visiting Al-Riyadh at 6 p.m., Al-Taawoun are at home to Al-Qadsiah at 6:10 p.m., then Al-Nassr host Neom and Al-Ittihad travel to Dammam to face Al-Ettifaq, both at 9 p.m.