In an exciting Saudi Pro League showdown, Al-Hilal was held to a 1-1 draw by Al-Riyadh at the Kingdom Arena during the 20th round of the season. This result has opened the door for league leaders Al-Ittihad to extend their lead over Al-Hilal to 4 points, provided they secure a victory against Al-Wehda on Saturday. The highly anticipated clash between Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal is set to take place on February 22 at the radiant Al-Jawhara Stadium.
The draw also benefited Al-Nassr and Al-Qadisiyah, who now trail Al-Hilal by just 4 points instead of 6, following the conclusion of this round. With this result, Al-Hilal’s total points rose to 48, marking their second consecutive draw after a 2-2 stalemate against Damac in the previous round. Meanwhile, Al-Riyadh earned a valuable point, moving them to 29 points and solidifying their position in 7th place.
Mohamed Konatí opened the scoring for Al-Riyadh in the 45+1st minute with a clear one-on-one finish past goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. However, Al-Hilal’s Salem Al-Dawsari equalized in the 60th minute with a solo effort.
Tunisian coach Sabri Lamouchi of Al-Riyadh outmaneuvered Portuguese tactician Jorge Jesus, who struggled to adjust Al-Hilal’s tactics. Despite the efforts of key players like Sergej Milinković-Savić, Rúben Neves, Malcolm, and Salem Al-Dawsari, Al-Hilal failed to create clear goal-scoring opportunities throughout the match and the additional 13 minutes awarded by Salvadoran referee Iván Barton.
Al-Riyadh hold Alhilal to a shocking draw in Saudi pro league.
