Saudi Pro League matchday 24 produced a Riyadh showdown that will be remembered for its intensity and attacking spectacle. Although meetings with Al-Nassr often attract greater build-up, Al-Hilal’s long-standing rivalry with Al-Shabab has its own rich narrative.
Saudi Pro League matchday 24 produced a Riyadh showdown that will be remembered for its intensity and attacking spectacle. Although meetings with Al-Nassr often attract greater build-up, Al-Hilal’s long-standing rivalry with Al-Shabab has its own rich narrative.
Their clashes stretch back to the league’s inaugural 2008/09 campaign, when Al-Shabab snatched a stoppage-time 1-1 draw against Al-Hilal. With both sides scoring deep into added time, the outcome ultimately favored Al-Ittihad in the title race, a race they went on to win. That same season, Al-Shabab emphatically eliminated Al-Hilal in the King’s Cup semi-finals before lifting the trophy.
Much has changed since then. This term, Al-Shabab have hovered near the relegation zone, while last season’s runners-up, Al-Hilal, remain in contention for the championship despite slipping to third following a disappointing sequence of results. Yet derby matches often defy league form, and Al-Shabab had already demonstrated their competitiveness in a narrow 3-2 defeat to Al-Nassr in January, even if a 5-2 loss to Al-Ahli followed soon after.
Despite defensive inconsistencies, Al-Shabab’s attacking duo of Yannick Carrasco and Abderrazzaq Hamedallah continues to pose serious problems. After 13 minutes, the hosts capitalized when Carrasco and Saad Yaslam combined on the left, freeing Josh Brownhill inside the area to fire beyond Yassine Bounou and open the scoring.
With head coach Simone Inzaghi opting to rest Malcom and Salem Al-Dawsari, introducing Saimon Bouabre and Sultan Mandash instead, and with Karim Benzema unavailable through injury, belief surged among the home crowd that an upset might unfold.
However, the response was swift. In the 19th minute, a misjudged defensive header allowed Mohammed Kanno to react quickest and volley the equalizer past Marcelo Grohe. Matters worsened for the defender shortly after when he diverted a Sergej Milinkovic-Savic delivery into his own net in the 31st minute, turning what appeared to be a comfortable situation for the goalkeeper into another blow.
Al-Shabab struck back just before halftime. Carrasco once again exploited space down the flank to release Hamedallah, who maneuvered past Kalidou Koulibaly and finished confidently to restore parity. Yet first-half stoppage time brought more turmoil, as another long throw created confusion and Koulibaly bundled in from close range following a failed goal-line clearance to give Al-Hilal a 3-2 advantage.
After the interval, Al-Hilal asserted dominance. Three minutes into the second period, winter arrival Sultan Mandash produced a stunning first-time trivela from a Kanno cross to extend the lead to 4-2.
Moments later, Mandash turned creator, supplying Marcos Leonardo, who calmly converted to make it five. The visitors appeared in full command as the contest opened up further.
To their credit, Al-Shabab refused to surrender. In the 75th minute, Yacine Adli’s driven ball across the area evaded all defenders and slipped beyond Bounou to narrow the margin to 5-3, rekindling faint hope.
The home side pressed forward in search of an improbable recovery, but Al-Hilal withstood the late pressure to secure the three points — a welcome relief after consecutive draws had cost them valuable ground in the standings.
