LONDON: Saudi Arabia international Abdulmalek Al-Khaibri will miss the start of Al-Hilal’s defense of their Saudi Pro League crown after he underwent surgery on Monday.
The midfielder, who went to the World Cup but did not play a single minute, has sustained a leg fracture on his return to preseason training with the champions and he could be out for up to two months.
“Abdulmalek underwent successful leg surgery today under the supervision of the club health care partner Bupa Arabia following his stress fracture injury,” read a club statement. “Al-Khaibri will go through treatment and rehab program for five to seven weeks. The player will join the group trainings after completing this program.”
The news will come as a blow to new coach Jorge Jesus. He would have identified Al-Khaibri, who has played 21 times for Al-Hilal since joining from Al-Shabab, as one of his key lieutenants. He has won 33 caps for his country, the last of which came in the 3-0 friendly lost to Peru last month.
Al-Hilal get their season underway with an Arab Club Champions Cup game against Al-Shabab on Aug. 7 and then play Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Super Cup before they kick off the league season against Al-Feiha on Aug. 31.
Also on the injury front, key playmaker Nawaf Al-Abed is following a “preventative program” as he bids to works his way back from a lower abdominal injury. He has not played since Jan. 8 and missed out on the World Cup because he was not fit enough.
Midfielder Ahmad Ashraf is also on the road to recovery following surgery on his lower abdominal muscles while defender Abdullah Al-Hafith is recovering from a cruciate knee ligament injury.
The good news, though, is that Carlos Eduardo, the star Brazilian, is back in full training following the anterior cruciate ligament injury he sustained last year.
Al-Hilal suffer a blow after key international midfielder undergoes surgery
Al-Hilal suffer a blow after key international midfielder undergoes surgery
- Abdulmalek Al-Khaibri has a knee operation
- News is a setback for new coach Jorge Jesus
Al-Ittihad drop points in Abha as Al-Fateh cruise to fifth consecutive win
- Al-Ittihad’s perfect run of form since the Arab Cup break comes to an end after 1-1 draw against Damac
- Al-Fateh defeat Al-Riyadh 3-1 to extend winning streak to five games
RIYADH: Matchday 15 of the Saudi Pro League continued on Tuesday with three fixtures across three cities. Al-Ittihad shared the spoils with Damac in Abha, Al-Okhdood edged Al-Kholood 1-0 in Najran, while Al-Fateh defeated Al-Riyadh 3-1 in Al-Ahsa.
The result in Abha was a disappointing one for the defending champions. Since their defeat to city rivals Al-Ahli on November 8 of last year, Al-Ittihad had won every match in the league. Damac proved stubborn opposition at the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Stadium, which welcomed a vibrant crowd, split — albeit unevenly — between Damac’s red and Al-Ittihad’s black and yellow.
Early signs suggested the visitors were in control. From the outset, the threat of Moussa Diaby stretching the pitch down the right, combined with Muhannad Al-Shanqeeti’s underlapping runs, led Al-Ittihad to what appeared to be an early opener in the 3rd minute.
Al-Shanqeeti, providing the connection between Diaby and Karim Benzema, took advantage of a failed clearance to fire past Damac goalkeeper Kewin. Unfortunately for the visitors, the goal was ruled out, as Diaby failed to keep the ball in play before delivering the cross.
Damac gradually grew into the contest, with their compact 5-4-1 shape limiting the opposition from establishing control. Al-Ittihad resorted to direct balls from deep to exploit space in behind, but the well-drilled Damac defence consistently denied them from the final touch.
The hosts then struck against the run of play. After an accidental intervention by the referee, play resumed with Riyadh Sharahili threading a pass behind the Ittihad centre-backs for Abdullah Al-Qahtani, who finished confidently to open the scoring in the 37th minute.
Sharahili would be involved in a goal at the other end just eight minutes later. The underlapping Al-Shanqeeti runs would come back to bite Damac, as he was spotted by Diaby inside the box, only for Sharahili’s misfired clearance to fall back to him to finish for the equaliser.
Sergio Conceição’s side knew that an early goal in the second half was crucial against a side like Damac. However, Benzema was surprisingly brought off at half-time in favour of Saleh Al-Shehri. Social media footage later suggested the Frenchman had been substituted due to injury.
Al-Shehri provided a different attacking profile, as Al-Ittihad now relied on crosses from Ahmad Al-Julaydan, but Damac defenders Abdulrahman Al-Khaibary and Hassan Rubayyi of Damac’s dealt well with the threat.
Their plan to draw Al-Ittihad forward and strike on the counter nearly paid off late on. In the sixth minute of stoppage time, they found themselves in a three-on-two situation that quickly turned into a one-on-one, only for Abdulrahman Al-Obaid’s effort to crash against the post.
Al-Ittihad’s night ended on a sour note when Fabinho was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Yahya Naji. Despite avoiding defeat, this draw was Al-Ittihad’s seventh game away at Damac without a win.
Elsewhere, Al-Fateh continued their stellar run of form to grab their fifth win on the trot with a 3-1 victory over Al-Riyadh. After spending the first part of the season lingering outside the relegation zone, they now sit 12 points clear in 10th place. In Najran, Al-Kholood fell to a 1-0 defeat against Al-Okhdood, marking their eighth loss in nine matches.
Matchday 15 concludes on Wednesday, with Al-Qadsiah vs. Al-Fayha at 5:45pm, followed by Al-Ahli vs. Al-Taawoun in the battle for second place at 8.30pm alongside Al-Shabab vs. NEOM.
