Riyadh (AFP)
Al-Hilal started its title defense campaign strongly, after defeating its host Al-Akhdoud 3-0, thanks to a “trick” by Serbian Aleksandar Mitrovic, in the first stage of the Saudi Football League.
After opening the new season by winning the Super Cup, with a big win over its arch-rival Al-Nasr 4-1, Al-Hilal confirmed that it is fully prepared to defend the league title that it won last season, without any defeat.
Al Hilal secured the victory in the first half, which witnessed the scoring of three goals, the first of which was by Mitrovic, after only four minutes, following a backheel pass from Abdullah Al Hamdan inside the penalty area.
The runner-up for last season’s league scorer, behind Al-Nassr’s Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo (28 versus 35), added the second goal in the 39th minute, after a cross from Al-Hamdan as well, which he met with a header into the net.
Another Serbian, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, completed the scoring in stoppage time with a wonderful free kick (1+45).
Al Hilal continued its momentum in the second half, and a penalty kick was awarded to Mitrovic in the 68th minute, but the referee reversed his decision because he considered that there was offside before the mistake in the restricted area.
The result remained the same until the final whistle, as Al Hilal achieved the perfect start.
Al Hilal’s Portuguese coach, Jorge Jesus, expressed his happiness with the opening victory, saying, “We are looking for titles and working towards them, and they are the basis of our success here, but if the records are considered a challenge for us, then we welcome them.”
Regarding Saud Abdul Hamid’s departure to Roma, he said, “If a player leaves our team, will we cry over him? That will not happen and we will continue our work to always be at the forefront.”
The new Algerian Houssem Aouar saved his team Al-Ittihad from the trap of immortality, when he scored the winning goal in the dying moments. Aouar scored the only goal in the 94th minute, so his team gained the first three points in the first official test for its new French coach, Laurent Blanc.
Al-Ittihad played the match with a lineup that included new signings such as Serbian goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic, Aouar and Frenchman Moussa Diaby.
With a goal a quarter of an hour before the end from the Frenchman Moussa Dembele, Al-Ettifaq returned from Al-Shabab Stadium with the three points after defeating them 1-0.
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