RIYADH: Al-Hilal maintained their 100 percent start to the season with a 3-2 win over Damac at Kingdom Arena on Wednesday night, and now top the Saudi Pro League table with three matches of the second round still to be completed on Thursday night.
With Senegal forward Habib Diallo a constant threat, Damac had several chances to go ahead as the first half progressed. But it was Aleksandar Mitrovic who opened the scoring for the champions in the fifth minute of stoppage time, heading home from Mohammed Al-Qahtani’s deflected cross.
However, Damac stunned Jorge Jesus’ men with two quick-fire goals at the start of the second half to take an unlikely lead. Guinea forward Francois Kamano equalized four minutes after the break with a looped shot that sailed over Yassine Bounou into the net.
And only four minutes later the visitors went ahead through Diallo’s close-range finish. Both goals were set up by Ramzi Solan.
Saudi Arabia international midfielder Musab Al-Juwayr leveled the score on 73 minutes with a firmly-struck volley from inside the penalty area after Damac goalkeeper Florin Nita failed to clear substitute Yasser Al-Shahrani’s corner.
The equalizer set up a grandstand finish, and it was no surprise when Mitrovic completed Al-Hilal’s comeback with his second of the match on 84 minutes.
The Serbian forward finished smartly from close range after Renan Lodi’s cross was deflected into his path by Al-Juwayr’s inadvertent touch. Despite a nervous VAR check, the officials confirmed Mitrovic’s fourth SPL goal of the season.
In the first match of the day, Al-Ettifaq claimed their second 1-0 win of the season, overcoming Al-Okhdood at home thanks to Moussa Dembele’s 63rd minute strike.
With Steven Gerrard’s team yet to concede a goal this season, they joined Al-Hilal and Al-Qadsiah as the only teams so far with six points out of six at the top of the table.
Meanwhile, Al-Wehda defeated promoted Al-Orobah 2-1 with a 93rd minute goal by Murad Khadhari at King Abdulaziz Sport City Stadium.
The home team had taken the lead through former Al-Hilal forward Odion Ighalo in the first minute, but Ziad Al-Hunaito replied for Al-Orobah just after the hour as teams went in at half-time all-square.
It looked like the points would be shared until the late intervention by Khadhari, who had scored in Al-Wehda’s season-opening 3-3 draw against Al-Riyadh last week.
