Al Hilal extend winning run, Al Okhdood win six-goal thriller

Al Fateh 2-4 Al Okhdood

Al Okhdood came from two goals down at Al Fateh on Saturday to emerge victorious in a six-goal thriller to record their first win of the 2024-25 season.

The hosts started the match with a bang as, on six minutes, Armenian playmaker Lucas Zelarayan sent a diagonal ball into the Al Okhdood penalty area, which was expertly headed home by Djaniny for his third goal of the campaign.

Al Fateh’s lead was then doubled in the 20th minute when Amin Sbai fed Soufiane Bendebka inside the box and the Algerian midfielder kept his composure to find the bottom corner, cementing what looked set to be a comfortable home win.

The visitors, however, refused to give up and pulled one back six minutes later, when veteran Awadh Khamis sent a perfect cross into the Al Fateh area that needed only one touch from Ibrahima Kone to place it into the back of the net.

Worrying signs for Al Fateh continued with Nouh Al Mousa receiving a straight red card just nine minutes into the second half after a reckless challenge on Diego Ferreira, but soon enough Al Okhdood were also reduced to 10 men. Club captain Saeed Al Rubaie received a second booking after stepping on the foot of Bendebka.

Nevertheless, Al Okhdood drew level in the 70th minute when Naif Asiri rose highest to head Christian Bassogog’s delivery from the corner into the far top corner. Three minutes later, the small travelling support were celebrating again; Sebastian Pedroza’s thunderous drive from 30 yards cannoned off the crossbar and fell for Zimbabwe legend Knowledge Musona, who tucked it away to turn the tie around.

With Al Fateh throwing everyone forward in pursuit of an equaliser, Al Okhdood were able to hit on the counter in the dying minutes, with Hussain Al Zabadani squaring for Mohammed Al Juhaif to tap-in his side’s fourth. The win represents Al Okhdood’s biggest away result in the Roshn Saudi Leauge and is only the second time they have scored four goals in a single game in the top flight - the other being April's 4-0 home victory against Abha.

Al Orobah 1-0 Damac

Newly promoted Al Orobah registered their second consecutive win in the RSL thanks to Cristian Tello’s first-half goal to defeat Damac 1-0 at Al Jouf University Stadium on Saturday evening.

The northernmost side in the Saudi top division replicated their smash-and-grab approach at home for the second week running having beaten Al Fateh with the same scorline - also thanks to the former Barcelona winger. The hosts nearly opened the scoring halfway through the opening period when Ghanaian forward Emmanuel Boateng cushioned the ball towards the path of Fahad Al Zubaidi, who hit it on the half-volley but struck the side-netting instead.

At the other end, Damac thought they had got a goal when energetic left-back Dhari Al Enezi advanced down the flank and crossed for Francois Kamano to sweep home. However, the Guinean international was flagged offside.

As the first half looked headed to end goalless, Croatian midfielder Karlo Muhar carried the ball through the middle and supplied a defence-splitting pass for Tello, who controlled and applied the finishing touch with his left to bag what would prove to be the winner.

Tello’s second goal at his new club - he scored 11 in Al Fateh colours last season - earned him the Fans’ Man of the Match and lifted Al Orobah into the top half of the table.

Al Kholood 2-4 Al Hilal

Al Hilal extended their unbeaten run in the RSL to 41 matches with an emphatic 4-2 away victory against Al Kholood to retain the top spot with the full 15 points, three clear of nearest chasers Al Ittihad.

The defending champions had to navigate a difficult opening half hour and could have found themselves behind when forward Myziane Maolida broke into the penalty area, rounded goalkeeper Yassine Bono and looked to apply the finishing touch, only to watch his effort cleared off the goal-line by Renan Lodi.

A clinical performance in the final minutes of the first half saw Al Hilal race to a three-goal lead by the break. First, it was Kalidou Koulibaly to break the stalemate in the 38th minute, the Senegalese centre-back perfectly positioned to take advantage of a rebound after Lodi’s curled effort from 25 yards out bounced back off the crossbar.

Lodi was again behind the second goal in the 42nd minute. The former Sevilla left-back intercepted the ball deep inside Al Hilal’s half and fed Salem Al Dawsari, who carried it forward for 30 yards before changing sides for Malcom. The Brazilian, so impressive in his debut season last term, cut inside on his left and curled his effort into the far corner to double the visitors’ lead.

Before the whistle could be blown for the interval, Al Hilal further extended their advantage when Sergej Milinkovic-Savic drilled a cross from the right near the byline for Ali Al Bulayhi to bury home from close range. However, the defender injured himself in the process, forcing manager Jorge Jesus to take him off at half-time and introduce Hassan Tambakti.

Still, Al Hilal picked up right where they left off after the restart, adding their fourth through Lodi. Ever influential, he made an overlapping run into Al Kholood’s box and collected Al Dawsari’s through pass before slotting home from a narrow angle.

Al Kholood pulled one back in the 71st minute when substitutes Mohammed Sawan and Hammam Al Hammami combined on the counter, with the latter converting from inside the Al Hilal area. An error from goalkeeper Bono then gifted the home side a late penalty, which was swept home by Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong to half the deficit late on.