RIYADH: The Saudi Pro League title race is officially wide open after Al-Qadsiah held Al-Hilal to a pulsating 2-2 draw at the Prince Mohammed bin Fahad Stadium in Dammam. A late equalizer by Salem Al-Dawsari salvaged a point for the league leaders, after Koen Casteels had repeatedly denied him throughout the contest.
Al-Hilal began the match targeting what is usually one of Al-Qadsiah’s strong points. Mohammed Abou Al-Shamat has been a major threat down the right flank this season, but the space he left behind allowed Al-Dawsari to attack that channel early on.
By the eighth minute, Al-Hilal won a corner from that side, and Ruben Neves stunned Casteels with his delivery. The Portuguese midfielder aimed directly at goal, with the ball striking the post before ricocheting off the goalkeeper and into the net.
Al-Qadsiah responded immediately. Musab Al-Juwayr — facing his boyhood club — threaded an accurate pass behind Pablo Mari, who failed to deal with Nahitan Nandez, as the Uruguayan slotted home the equalizer.
The visitors looked to strike back swiftly once more, but this time Al-Qadsiah stood firm. Malcom squared Darwin Nunez for a shot on goal only for Jehad Thekri to block the effort, before Casteels followed up with a strong save to prevent Al-Dawsari on the next attack.
Tempers flared in the 20th minute when Mohammed Kanno and Nandez were both booked by the referee following a heated exchange on the touchline.
Despite playing away from home, it was Al-Hilal that took greater control of the game. Mateo Retegui and Julian Quinones struggled to impose themselves in first half, while Al-Dawsari continued to stretch Al-Qadsiah’s back line.
Early in the second half, Al-Hilal capitalized on their momentum. Al-Dawsari drove into the box only to be brought down for a penalty in the 50th minute. The captain stepped up himself, but Casteels once again came out on top with a save.
The Belgian goalkeeper remained defiant in the 72nd minute, denying a curling effort from Malcom after Theo Hernandez surged forward from deep to start the move.
Al-Qadsiah then swung the momentum in their favour. In the 77th minute, Al-Juwayr delivered a pinpoint corner that was powered home by Quinones, taking him to 17 league goals for the season.
Al-Hilal pressed relentlessly for an equalizer, and it arrived in dramatic fashion in the dying minutes of the game. Al-Dawsari finally got the better of Casteels, when he capitalized on a free-kick cleared his way from the edge of the box to send the away fans into a frenzy.
Stoppage time saw both sides go at it, with the clearest chance falling to Nandez, whose delicate chip over Yassine Bounou drifted inches wide in the 95th minute before the final whistle sounded.
Al-Qadsiah’s inability to claim all three points means the gap to Al-Hilal is reduced to six points rather than three. Al-Ahli, currently second, now sit just three points off the summit ahead of their clash with Al-Hilal on Monday in Riyadh.
Earlier in the evening, Al-Ittihad travelled to Al-Hasa for a thrilling encounter with Al-Fateh that ended in 2-2 draw. In the absence of Karim Benzema, Saleh Al-Shehri scored a brace only for Matias Vargas’ dagger to deny the visitors the three points.
Meanwhile, a hat-trick by Carlos Junior put Al-Shabab back on track after a 4-0 victory against Al-Hazem.
Action resumes on Friday to conclude Matchday 19, with Al-Taawoun hosting Al-Okhdood, followed by NEOM vs. Damac and Al-Kholood vs. Al-Nassr. Victory will be crucial for Al-Nassr, as three points would put them within touching distance of the league leaders.
