Al-Hilal defeated Ettifaq 2-0 on Monday to move into second place in the Roshn Saudi League and hand manager Steven Gerrard his first defeat in Saudi Arabia.
League leaders Al-Ittihad maintained their 100 percent start to the season with a 3-0 victory at Al-Wehda, though there was some concern for the Tigers when star striker Karim Benzama limped off injured, just four days before the top two will meet in what seems set to be a titanic clash, even at this early stage of the season.
First-half goals from Malcom and Salem Al-Dawsari gave 18-time champions Al-Hilal what was ultimately a comfortable win and a healthy 10 points from their first four games of the season. Ettifaq, captained by Jordan Henderson, had picked up seven points from their first three league games under Gerrard but never looked like leaving with anything this time.
Central defender Kalidou Koulibaly and goalkeeper Yassine Bounou made their first starts in the league since arriving at Al-Hilal from Chelsea and Sevilla respectively, and looked comfortable.
The real damage, though, was done further up the pitch. Ruben Neves and Aleksandar Mitrovic have already established quite the connection in Riyadh and it was on display for all to see in the 10th minute, when a cross from ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers star Neves from the right side was inch perfect, though the powerful header from former Fulham forward Mitrovic was not quite so good and it bounced back off the bar.
Mitrovic turned provider 14 minutes later as the hosts took the lead. Rising on the edge of the area, he headed a right-sided throw into the path of Malcom. The Brazilian, signed during the summer from Zenit, let the ball bounce before hammering a shot into the opposite bottom corner, leaving Brazilian goalkeeper Paulo Victor with no chance at all. After a check with the video assistant referee for a possible foul by Mitrovic, the goal stood.
Malcom was also involved in the second. His shot, after a move that began with a long ball out of defense from Koulibaly, was blocked but then Al-Dawsari performed a standing scissor kick on the edge of the area to fire the ball past the keeper.
The second half was fairly comfortable for Al-Hilal and it was little surprise when they seemed to have added a third near the end, with Abdullah Al-Hamdan heading home, but what would have been icing on the cake was denied by VAR.
It is still very early in the season but Al-Hilal fans will no doubt have been keeping an eye on what was happening at defending champions Al-Ittihad, who had won three out of three heading into today’s game, not least because the two teams will face each other on Friday.
The Jeddah side endured a tough first half at Al-Wehda and things got worse after 37 minutes when Benzema went down in the area as he stretched for the ball. After lengthy treatment on the pitch, the FIFA Ballon D’Or holder was able to make his own way off the field but it did not look like good news for coach Nuno Santo.
There is great strength in depth among the ranks of the title-holders, however, and three goals in just 10 second-half minutes underlined the fact that the Tigers are, once again, the team to beat, with 12 goals scored in their four games so far and none conceded.
Monday’s opener came out of nowhere. The ball fell to Romarinho just after the hour mark and the Brazilian fired home a low shot from almost 30 meters out.
The second came soon after when, in the 67th minute, Benzema’s replacement, Jota, was released down the left by Igor Coronado. The Portuguese winger broke free of the back line, cut inside the area and fired a low shot into the net from a tight angle. Then it was Coronado’s turn, as he advanced on the right and, with the defense backing off, shot home from inside the area.
Elsewhere on Monday, Abha defeated visitors Al-Fayha 2-1, while Al-Raed picked up a 3-0 home win against Al-Riyadh.
