Leaders-Mena magazine provides a live coverage for Friday’s game between Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli in the 23rd week of the Saudi Pro League.
Fulltime: Al-Hilal 2-3 Al-Ahli
Scorers: Salem Al-Dawsari 75′, Marcos Leonardo 83′ (pen) / Ivan Toney 47′, 53′, 88′
Yellow cards:
Saad Yaslam, Franck Kessie (Al-Ahli)
Marcos Leonardo, Nasser Al-Dawsari (Al-Hilal)
Lineups:
Al-Hilal: Bono; João Cancelo (Hamad Al-Yami 61), Kalidou Koulibaly, Ali Al-Bulayhi, Moteb Al-Harbi (Nasser Al-Dawsari 61); Rúben Neves (Mohammed Al-Qahtani 90+13), Salem Al-Dawsari, Sergej Milinković-Savić; Kaio Cesar (Mohamed Kanno 61), Marcos Leonardo, Malcom
Al-Ahli: Edouard Mendy; Saad Yaslam (Mohamed Sulaiman 48), Roger Ibanez, Merih Demiral, Ali Majrashi; Ziyad Al-Johani (Firas Al-Buraikan 84), Gabri Veiga (Eid Al-Muwallad 90+9), Franck Kessié; Galeno (Rayan Hamed 90+9), Ivan Toney, Riyad Mahrez (Fahad Al-Rashidi 90+9)
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Fulltime
90+16′ Second Half ends
90+13′ Substitution for Al-Hilal: Mohammed Al-Qahtani replaces Ruben Neves
90+10′ Salem Al-Dawsari wins a free kick for Al-Hilal on the left wing.
90+9′ Triple substitution for Al-Ahli: Fahad Al-Rashidi replaces Riyad Mahrez, Eid Al-Muwallad comes in for Gabri Veiga, Rayan Hamed substitutes Galeno
90+7′ NO PENALTY after a VAR review!
90+6′ VAR CHECK! Possible penalty for Al-Hilal
90+4′ Corner for Al-Hilal, conceded by Ali Majrashi.
90+3′ Al-Hilal’s Nasser Al-Dawsari sends a cross into the box, but keeper Edouard Mendy comes off his line to gather the ball.
90+2′ Nasser Al-Dawsari gets a yellow card after bringing down an opponent
90′ Match officials signal 14 minutes of added time.
90′ Riyad Mahrez fails to time his run beyond the last defender and the linesman makes a good call by signalling for offside after seeing the whole situation unfold.
(GOAL) Ivan Toney converts a killer cross f rom Gabri Veigawith a curling shot inside the left post! What a perfect finish
88′ GOAAAL… Hat-trick for Al-Ahli’s Ivan Toney
86′ Foul by Al-Hila’s Kalidou Koulibaly
85′ Riyad Mahrez steps up to take a corner. He launches the ball into the penalty area, but it only finds the head of an opposing player who clears the danger.
84′ Substitution for Al-Ahli: Firas Al-Buraikan replaces Ziyad Al-Johani
83′ GOAAAL…Marcos Leonardo equalizes for Al-Hilal from the penalty spot
78′ Penalty for Al Hilal. Ali Majrashi touches the ball with his hand inside the area.
76′ Corner for Al-Hilal, conceded by Merih Demiral
(GOAL) Malcom produces a precise pass and picks out Salem Al-Dawsari inside the box who quickly takes a shot which goes into the middle of the net and leaves the goalkeeper helpless.
75′ GOAAAL.. Al-Hilal score
73′ Merih Demiral wastes a great chance for Al-Ahli as he climbs high around the penalty spot to connect with a cross from the resulting free kick, but his header goes well over the bar.
72′ Galeno wins a free kick in the attacking half following a foul by Al-Hilal’s Hamad Al-Yami
70′ Ivan Toney pounces on a great cross inside the box, but lashes his powerful first-time shot a whisker past the right post.
69′ Marcos Leonardo receives a sweet pass inside the box, but his effort on goal is blocked by a defender.
67′ Gabri Veiga attempts to slip the ball through the defence, but is unable to find any of his teammates and the ball is off of the pitch and it’s a goal kick for Al-Hilal.
65′ Salem Al-Dawsari leans back and sends a volley soaring over the bar from inside the box.
61′ Triple substitution for Al-Hilal: Hamad Al-Yami comes in for Joao Cancelo, Mohamed Kanno replaces Kaio Cesar and Nasser Al-Dawsari substitutes Moteb Al-Harbi
58′ Substitution for Al-Ahli: Mohammed Sulaiman replaces injured Saad Yaslam
55′ Al-Ahli’s Saad Yaslam is down injured and the referee stops play so that he can receive medical treatment.
(GOAL) Galeno puts the ball across the area and Ivan Toney has the easiest task in the world to tuck the ball with his left foot into an empty net.
53′ GOAAAL.. Ivan Toney doubles the score for Al-Ahli
51′ João Cancelo wins a free kick for Al-Hilal in the attacking half.
49′ Corner for Al-Hilal, conceded by Ali Majrashi.
(GOAL) Ivan Toney latches on to an accurate pass inside the box and finds himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper. He quickly drills a shot to the bottom right corner and scores.
47′ GOAAAL.. Ivan Toney scores for Ahli.
46′ Kaio César wins a free kick for Al-Hilal on the right wing.
46′ Second half begins.
Halftime
45+5′ The referee blows his whistle for half-time, bringing to a close the first 45 minutes of the match.
45+3′ Marcos Leonardo was close to gifting Al-Hilal the lead, but he blows a huge opportunity! He latches on to a perfect cross from the wing into the penalty area, but sends a bullet header just wide of the left post!
45′ Match officials announce 5 minutes of added time
45′ WHAT A SAVE! Edouard Mendy pulls off a great save to deny Malcom after receiving a precise defence-splitting pass. The effort is headed for the bottom left corner, but the goalkeeper dives superbly to stop it.
44′ Al-Hilal’s Malcom wins a free kick in the attacking half following a foul by Ziyad Al-Johani
42′ Kaio Cesar gathers a pass and without hesitation smashes a shot in from long range, but it goes high over the bar.
40′ Corner for Al-Ahli, conceded by Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
39′ Joao Cancelo was too fierce in his attempt to get the ball from Al-Ahli’s Galeno and Irfan Peljto blows for a foul. Al-Ahli win a free kick.
36′ Ruben Neves whips in the resulting set piece but it’s cleared.
35′ Franck Kessie receives a yellow card for a dangerous foul
31′ The referee blows his whistle as Galeno was too aggressive in his challenge, awarding João Cancelo a free kick in the in the defensive half.
30′ João Cancelo wins a free kick for Al-Hilal on the right wing
29′ Al-Hilal’s Marcos Leonardo gets a yellow card for simulation
27′ Hand ball by Al-Ahli’s Gabri Veiga.
24′ Saad Yaslam wins a free kick in the defensive half following a foul by Kaio César
24′ Ruben Neves sends in the corner, but fails to find the head of any of his teammates, allowing the defence to clear.
20′ Ibanez is clearly asking for some medical attention with his painful gestures. The extent of his injury is yet to be discovered.
18′ Sergej Milinkovic-Savic makes an overly-aggressive challenge and Irfan Peljto blows his whistle for a foul.
16′ Al-Ahli’s Ibanez requires medical treatment, so the referee stops play and signals for the physio to come onto the pitch.
15′ Good movement by Kaio Cesar, but he can’t find any of his teammates as the cross is poor. The ball goes out of play and Al-Ahli will have a goal kick.
14′ Malcom wins a free kick for Al-Hilal in the defensive half.
13′ Foul by Al-Ahli’s Ziyad Al-Johani.
12′ WHAT A CHANCE! Al-Ahli’s Ivan Toney meets a cross in the box and finds some space for a shot. He produces an inaccurate effort that goes wide of the left post.
11′ Kalidou Koulibaly is knocked off balance by a defender near the penalty spot and sends his header from the corner well wide of the right post.
10′ An attempted cross from Ruben Neves is cleared. The ball is out of play. Al-Hilal could have a chance to score from a corner.
9′ Saad Yaslam wins a free kick for Al-Ahli in the defensive half.
7′ Malcom strikes the free kick but he is unable to get the free-kick over the defensive wall from mid-range.
6′ Saad Yaslam gets a yellow card.
6′ Kaio César wins a free kick for Al-Hilal in the attacking half.
4′ Al-Hilal’s Rúben Neves wins a free kick in the attacking half.
3′ Al-Ahli’s Saad Yaslam sends a cross into the box, but Al-Hilal’s defence clears the ball to safety.
1′ First half begins
First Half
19:00 Al-Ahli, meanwhile, are determined to break their winless streak against Al-Hilal dating back to 2020. With the reigning champions appearing more vulnerable than in recent seasons, the visitors are brimming with confidence. Under Matthias Jaissle’s guidance, their side has been in scintillating form, winning six of their last seven league matches, with only a narrow 3-2 home loss to Al-Nassr interrupting their impressive run.
18:00 Al-Hilal launched their title defence with a blazing pace, amassing 43 points in just 16 league outings and appearing poised to replicate last season’s undefeated triumph. However, a slump at the start of the month, marked by consecutive draws against Damac and Al-Riyadh and a setback to title rivals Al-Ittihad, has seen them lose their grip at the summit.
17:00 Possible Lineups:
Al-Hilal: Bono; Aldawsari, Koulibaly, Al Bulaihi, Al Harbi; Neves, Milinkovic-Savic; Kaio, Malcom, Al Dawsari; Marcos Leonardo
Al-Ahli: Mendy; Bakor, Roger Ibanez, Dams; Ali Majrashi, Kessie, Aljohani, Galeno; Al Buraikan, Gabri Veiga; Toney
16:00 In the latest clash between both sides, Al-Hilal clinched a 2-1 victory, powered by a sensational brace from Aleksandar Mitrovic, during the sixth week of the Saudi Pro League on 5 October 2024.
15:00 Al-Hilal boast a dominant head-to-head record with 66 wins in 149 all-competition meetings, while Al-Ahli have secured victory on 40 occasions.
14:00 The Blue Waves step into action riding high after a sensational 5-1 demolition of Al-Kholood on Tuesday, while the Jeddah giants build on a 4-1 triumph over Al-Qadsiah on the same day.
13:00 Al-Hilal currently sit second in the league standings with 51 points, trailing leaders Al-Ittihad by three points, while Al-Ahli occupy fifth place with 44 points.
12:00 Al-Hilal will face Al-Ahli in the 23rd round of the Saudi Professional League, as the Riyadh powerhouse looks to narrow the gap with league leader Al-Ittihad.
Venue: Kingdom Arena (Riyadh)
Referee: Irfan Peljto (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
