JEDDAH: Al-Hilal moved three points clear of Al-Ittihad — who are in action at home to Al-Shabab on Wednesday — and were never in danger of dropping points as they netted twice in the first 11 minutes against Al-Wehda before recording a 4-1 verdict.
After only seven minutes Al-Wehda’s goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Owaishir spilled a shot from Ruben Neves and Marcos Leonardo — in red-hot form with eight goals in the previous five games — was on hand to react first to poke the ball home from close range.
Four minutes later it was 2-0. Salem Al-Dawsari picked up possession on the left, slipped the ball into Mohamed Kanno on the edge of the area and the midfielder found Malcom on the edge of the six-yard box. The Brazilian controlled the ball with his first touch and shot home with his second.
Fans in Riyadh sat back in the expectation of more goals but Al-Wehda kept it tight and restricted the scoreline to respectable levels. Malcom added a third with eight minutes remaining and Abdullah Al-Hamdan completed the scoring after Craig Goodwin had pulled one back for Al-Wehda.
Earlier, Al-Nassr moved above Al-Qadsiah into third following a 3-1 victory over Al-Khaleej, although the Yellows are 11 points behind their Riyadh rivals.
It was goalless at the break but Al-Khaleej were already a man down as Saeed Al-Hamsal had been red carded.
Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring midway through the second half, shooting home from the edge of the box for his 100th goal contribution for Al-Nassr.
Al-Khaleej equalized with 10 minutes remaining through Kostas Fortounis from the spot, but Al-Nassr restored their lead almost immediately thanks to Sultan Al-Ghannam.
Ronaldo then scored his 13th of the season in the eighth minute of added time, slotting home into an empty net after an unselfish pass from Saad Haqawi. The strike put the Portuguese star into first place in the goalscoring standings above Aleksandar Mitrovic and Karim Benzema.
Al-Hilal win again while Ronaldo inspires Al-Nassr victory
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Al-Hilal win again while Ronaldo inspires Al-Nassr victory
- Al-Hilal defeat Al-Wehda 4-1 to stay top of the Saudi Pro League
- Cristiano Ronaldo nets twice to help Al-Nassr to 3-1 win at Al-Khaleej
Ravaglia heroics lead Bologna to Italian Super Cup final in Riyadh
- Despite falling behind early, Bologna equalized in the 34th minute before prevailing on penalties
RIYADH: It was a night of shared football culture in Riyadh as Inter Milan and Bologna met in the second 2025/26 Italian Super Cup semi-final. The travelling Inter support brought their drums, colour and constant noise, blending with Saudi Inter fans to create a lively atmosphere inside the stadium.
The match began at a blistering pace, with Inter taking the lead less than two minutes after kick-off. Marcus Thuram powered home from close range after meeting an accurate cross from Alessandro Bastoni to score the opening goal of the night.
Inter immediately searched for a second, with Ange-Yoan Bonny going close in the fourth minute, feinting past Torbjorn Heggem before dragging his effort just wide of the post.
After Inter’s early barrage, Bologna began to grow into the contest, with Jens Odgaard leading much of the offence. Goalkeeper Josep Martinez was called into action to preserve Inter’s advantage.
The energy among Inter supporters continued to build, with fans jumping in unison and lifting their scarves as they urged their side forward in search of a second goal.
That momentum was checked in the 34th minute, when a VAR review resulted in a penalty for Bologna. Riccardo Orsolini slotted the spot-kick coolly past Martinez to bring I Rossoblu back level.
Inter pushed forward after the break as the game opened up, but there was no getting past Bologna goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia, who made four saves in the second half alone.
Hope briefly returned for the Nerazzurri when Bonny was brought down in the box in the 56th minute, only for the initial appeal for a penalty to be overturned following consultation with VAR.
Less than 10 minutes later, the stadium rose to welcome Lautaro Martinez. Brought on alongside Andy Diouf and Davide Frattesi in a triple substitution, Lautaro made an immediate impact but was unable to find the decisive goal before the end of regular time.
Bologna came within moments of snatching a winner in injury time, but goalkeeper Martinez reacted sharply to make a crucial save, sending the semi-final into a penalty shootout.
The shootout began evenly, with both sides converting their penalties before goalkeepers intervened at either end. Nicolo Barella then fired over the crossbar, only for Juan Miranda to mirror the miss moments later.
Inter’s struggles from the spot continued as Ravaglia made his second save of the shootout, before Jonathan Rowe gave Bologna the advantage. Stefan de Vrij converted to extend the contest, but Ciro Immobile struck decisively to send Bologna through.
The Rossoblu will now face Napoli in the Italian Super Cup final at Al-Awwal Park on December 22, after the Serie A champions defeated AC Milan 2-0 in the first semi-final.
