Marcos Leonardo got his first RSL hat-trick on a record-breaking evening at Kingdom Arena as Roshn Saudi League leaders Al Hilal ran riot in a 9-0 thumping of bottom club Al Fateh on Thursday.
The result sees Jorge Jesus’ men equal the biggest win in the RSL history, registered under their own name just 14 months ago when they defeated Al Hazem in Matchweek 14 of the 2023-24 season.
This time, it took 20 minutes for the hosts to open their account, when Salem Al Dawsari’s whipped delivery from the corner was headed home by Kalidou Koulibaly, who beat Jason Denayer to the ball for his second goal of the season. It represents the first of three assists for Al Dawsari on the night.
Al Fateh regrouped and looked to match their opponents’ intensity, but, propelled by 24,692 fans at the newly expanded Kingdom Arena, Al Hilal turned on the style late in the first half.On 39 minutes, Al Dawsari set up Renan Lodi, who fired home from a narrow angle down the left to double Al Hilal’s lead.
Six minutes of added time were enough for the home side to add two more. First, Al Fateh captain Mourad Batna handled the ball inside the penalty area, leaving Leonardo to convert the spot-kick. Then, almost instantly, a Malcom free-kick that floated into the Al Fateh box was met with a looping header from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to wrap up the opening period at 4-0.
After the restart, Al Hilal picked up right where they left off. Nine minutes into the second half, a fine passing move involving seven players and nine passes in as many seconds concluded with Leonardo drilling home from just outside the area for his second goal of the night.
Al Hilal made it 6-0 just after the hour mark, Ruben Neves sending a set-piece to Leonardo, who completed his hat-trick with a fine header. In the process, the former Benfica winger etched his name in the club’s history books as scorer of Al Hilal’s 1,000th goal in the RSL, capping off an unforgettable night for the 21-year-old.
That's 1⃣0⃣0⃣0⃣ #RoshnSaudiLeague goals for Al Hilal ✅ pic.twitter.com/hPzE4DxZZ9
— Roshn Saudi League (@SPL_EN) January 16, 2025
In the final minute of regular time, Joao Cancelo’s perfect cross was headed in by substitute Abdullah Al Hamdan for 7-0, but there was still time for two more goals. Al Hamdan added an assist to his goal, intercepting the ball inside Al Fateh’s half and setting up Malcom, who embarked on a solo run before finding the bottom corner.
Al Fateh’s nightmarish visit to the capital went from bad to worse when teenager Faisal Al Abdulwahid inadvertently headed the ball past his own goalkeeper, Peter Szappanos, and into the back of his net to complete the 9-0 rout. Al Fateh ended the contest with 10 men, with Ziyad Al Jari given a straight red for a foul on Malcom.
The triumph secures the top spot for Al Hilal going into "Legends Week", while for Al Fateh new boss Jose Gomes, a second defeat in a row leaves his side needing a miracle to escape relegation. The margin to safety grows to six points - the same amount the 2012-13 champions have collected all season so far.
